Journalism of Courage
Washington DC Guard Shooting: The US authorities have identified the suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House as Rahmanullah Lakanwal. He is an Afghan man who entered the United States in September 2021, according to law enforcement officials cited by The Guardian and The Associated Press (AP).
Fox News reported that Lakanwal legally entered the US as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the federal relocation programme launched after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. He had reportedly been living in Washington state before the shooting. US President Donald Trump said: “He [Lakanwal] was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights… His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden.”
Lakanwal was also wounded during the exchange of gunfire. His injuries are not life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to AP.
Fresh reporting from Fox News Digital reveals that Lakanwal had previous working ties with multiple US government entities, including the CIA, during his time in Afghanistan. Intelligence sources told Fox News that he served as a member of a US partner force in Kandahar, which gave him a prior relationship with American agencies.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital: “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 U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”
Ratcliffe added that the individual, and “so many others”, should not have been allowed into the US and criticised what he called the “ongoing fallout” of the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan exit.
The attack took place near the Farragut West Metro station, a busy area just blocks from the White House. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called it “a targeted shooting”, a description supported by investigators who reviewed security footage.
According to Jeffrey Carroll, an executive assistant chief with the DC police, the suspect “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops.
Police say there is no indication of additional suspects.
Two West Virginia National Guard members were critically injured, FBI Director Kash Patel and Bowser said, as reported by the AP. Other nearby troops ran toward the gunfire and subdued the shooter after he was hit.
AP reported that at least one Guard member exchanged gunfire with the attacker.
National Guard units have been stationed across Washington since August, after President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency.” Roughly 2,375 Guard members are currently activated in the city, according to The Guardian. Following Wednesday’s attack, the Trump administration immediately ordered 500 additional Guard troops, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. He added that the deployment came at Trump’s direction.
After the shooting the US stopped all immigration requests from Afghan nationals.
