The 29-year-old man suspected in the shooting of two National Guard members, one of them fatally, near the White House on Wednesday, is an Afghan national who came to the United States four years ago due to his work with the CIA.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country from Bellingham, Washington, to the nation’s capital with the intent to kill. He was armed and in criminal possession of a weapon, U.S. officials claimed during a Thursday press conference.
Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries on Thursday, while Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.
“You picked the wrong target, the wrong city, and the wrong country, and you will be sorry for the violence and the evil you perpetrated in our nation’s capital,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said.
The shootings have led the Trump administration to vow to step up the administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Here is what the Washington Examiner has learned about Lakanwal, his background, and what the future may hold for him.
What happened?
The shooting took place early Wednesday afternoon, around 2:15 p.m., near the Farragut West Metro Station entrance, located a few blocks from the White House.
Authorities said Lakanwal used a .357 revolver to shoot Beckstrom and Wolfe, both from the West Virginia National Guard, in the head. Lakanwal was injured after being shot by other National Guard members and is currently being treated at a D.C. hospital.
Pirro said he opened fire “without provocation.”
“One guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again,” Pirro said. “Another guardsman is struck several times.”
Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal?
Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan man who is accused of shooting two National Guard members. Lakanwal is among the thousands of Afghans who came to the United States after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. President Donald Trump has criticized America’s refugee intake programs and has vowed to shut them down in the wake of Wednesday’s shootings.
Charges
Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder, Pirro’s office said Friday.
“In light of Beckstrom’s death, the charge upgrades to murder in the first degree,” a statement read.
Pirro also told Fox News on Friday that there would be “many more charges to come,” though she did not say what they might be.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that Lakanwal could receive the death penalty.
CIA ties
Lakanwal was part of the Zero Unit during the war in Afghanistan.
Zero Unit was an anti-Taliban Afghan paramilitary force that was trained, funded, and supported by the CIA. They conducted night raids and carried out missions across the country.
The Zero Unit had a reputation for ruthlessness. Journalists covering the war and human rights groups referred to its members as “death squads.”
Lakanwal was stationed in Kandahar.
Lakanwal, Operation Allies Welcome, and green card scrutiny
Lakanwal, who grew up in the Khost province, located in southeastern Afghanistan, moved to America in September 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, an Afghan resettlement program during the Biden administration.
He has been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.
Operation Allies Welcome allowed certain Afghan nationals to remain in the United States for a period of two years. It was not a guaranteed path to permanent immigration and required recipients to find other ways to gain legal status.
More than 800 Afghan refugees have settled in Washington, the Immigrant and Refugee Health Alliance, which is based in the state, said.
After Lakanwal’s immigration status was leaked, Joe Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced he was ordering a review of “every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” It is unclear what countries are on that list. The Trump administration also announced plans on Thursday to make it much more difficult for immigrants from countries banned from traveling to the U.S. and getting green cards.
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), a Navy veteran, has demanded on social media that all Afghan refugees should be vetted again, placing blame on former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Although some Republicans are blaming Biden, the Trump administration granted Lakanwal asylum in April.
Possible motivation
No motive has been publicly confirmed.
While investigators have classified the shootings as a “targeted attack’ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are treating it as a possible act of terrorism, no clear motive has yet been established.
TRUMP SAYS HE WILL PAUSE IMMIGRATION FROM ‘THIRD-WORLD COUNTRIES’ AFTER SHOOTING
Relatives of Lackanwal have told multiple news outlets that they were in shock upon hearing the news.
