The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has been identified as 29-year-old Afghan citizen Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled Afghan allies who worked with U.S. troops during the 20-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that helps relocate those allies, said in a statement that Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but it was granted this year under President Trump. He then applied for a green card, and his application was pending, according to CBS News.
The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has been identified as 29-year-old Afghan citizen Rahmanullah Lakanwal. (Getty)
While in Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked alongside the CIA in so-called “Zero Units,” groups of Afghan commandos who carried out missions planned by the agency and played a key role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country.
He worked with U.S. forces beginning in 2012, first as a security guard for the unit and later getting promoted to team leader, according to his cousin. His brother was a platoon leader.
After the war, Lakanwal was one of about 800 Afghan refugees who were resettled in Washington State with the financial help of the federal government. He lived with his wife and five children.
Lakanwal drove from the city of Bellingham, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, to Washington, D.C., to carry out the attack, authorities said.
National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP)
On Wednesday, he darted from around a corner just a few blocks from the White House and ambushed two National Guard members, firing from a powerful .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, officials said. He critically wounded Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, before being shot by another Guard member and arrested.
Beckstrom and Wolfe, both from West Virginia, were listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon. By Thursday evening, the state’s governor confirmed Beckstrom had died.
“A few moments ago, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom passed away from the injuries sustained during yesterday’s horrific shooting. This is not the result we hoped for, but it is the result we all feared,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey wrote on social media shortly before 7 p.m.
Lakanwal had been charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Authorities previously said the charges could be upgraded to include first-degree murder if either of the victims did not survive.
An investigation into the motive for the shooting remains ongoing.
At the time of Wednesday’s surprise attack, more than 2,000 National Guard troops were already in the nation’s capital following orders from President Trump. He then ordered 500 more troops into the city following the shooting.
Trump was in Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving, not at the White House, when the attack occurred.
In a video message released on social media Wednesday night, Trump called for the reinvestigation of all the Afghan refugees who entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.
The Operation Allies Welcome initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the U.S., and has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and the Department of Homeland Security over allegations of gaps in the vetting process.
Advocates have said the program had extensive vetting and offered a lifeline to allies at risk of Taliban reprisals.
A senior U.S. official told CNN that Lakanwal came back “clean on all checks” before working with the CIA and again before coming to the U.S.
With News Wire Services
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