Suspect in shooting of two National Guard soldiers in DC worked with CIA in Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, fled to the United States after the fall of Kabul in 2021
An Afghan national who has been accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members close to the White House had previously worked with the CIA in his home country.
Listen to this article
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is accused of attempting to kill specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and staff sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver on Wednesday.
The suspect is believed to have driven thousands of miles across the country to launch an "ambush-style" attack on the pair, leaving them both in a critical condition.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe revealed that the alleged shooter had been allowed to enter the US "due to his prior work with the US government" in Afghanistan, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.
"In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government," Mr Ratcliffe said.
Mr Ratcliffe did not specify what work Lakanwal did, but said the relationship "ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation" of US service members from Afghanistan.
Kandahar, a city in southern Afghanistan and the Taliban heartland of the country, saw fierce fighting between the Taliban and Nato forces after the US-led invasion in 2001 following the al Qaida attacks on September 11.
The CIA relied on Afghan staff for translation, administrative and frontline fighting with their own paramilitary officers in the war.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a Thursday news briefing that Lakanwal faced charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
She added that said that "it's too soon to say" what his motives were.
Ms Pirro added that Lakanwal charges could be upgraded, saying: "We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge."
FBI director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism. Agents have served a series of search warrants, with Mr Patel calling it a "coast-to-coast investigation".
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser interpreted the shooting as a direct assault on America itself, rather than specifically on President Donald Trump's policies.
"Somebody drove across the country and came to Washington DC to attack America," Ms Bower said. "That person will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
US Attorney general Pam Bondi said the injured soldiers had come through surgery, but remained in a critical condition.
Lakanwal was shot and has wounds that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Lakanwal arrived in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles (127 kilometres) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord, Kristina Widman.
Mr Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2025
In a video message released on social media on Wednesday night, Mr Trump said: "If they can't love our country, we don't want them."
He called the shooting a "heinous assault" and "a crime against our entire nation" and said it "proves that lax migration policies are "the single greatest national security threat facing our nation".
"No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival," he said.
Mr Trump described Afghanistan as "a hellhole on earth" and he said his administration would review everyone who entered from the country under President Joe Biden - a measure his administration had already been planning before the incident.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would indefinitely stop processing all immigration requests for Afghan nationals pending a review of security and vetting protocols.
During his remarks, Mr Trump also swung his focus to Minnesota, where he complained about "hundreds of thousands of Somalians" who are "ripping apart that once-great state".
The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Mr Trump asked him to send the troops.
Nearly 2,200 troops are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government's latest update.
The Operation Allies Welcome initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the US, many of whom had worked alongside US troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.
It has since faced intense scrutiny from Mr Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.
Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant Washington police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive.
He said the assailant "came around the corner" and immediately started firing at the troops roughly two blocks northwest of the White House, citing video reviewed by investigators.
Hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, he said.
"It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard," Mr Carroll said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.
"At this point we have no other suspects."
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but he later walked that statement back to say his office was "receiving conflicting reports" about their condition.
General Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, scrapped plans to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with troops at Guantanamo Bay in order to travel to Washington and be with guard members there instead.