The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House previously worked alongside several U.S. government agencies, among them the CIA, during his time with an American-partnered force in Afghanistan, Fox News Digital has uncovered.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States shortly after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
He arrived the following month through the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome” programme.
According to intelligence officials who spoke with Fox News Digital, Lakanwal was involved with U.S. government operations in Kandahar, including work tied to the CIA through his role on a partner force.
CIA Director, John Ratcliffe, speaking to Fox News Digital, said, “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, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation.”
Ratcliffe continued, “The individual and so many others, should have never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
He added,”God bless our brave troops.”
Fox News Digital also reports that the FBI has taken control of the ongoing investigation.
Multiple senior intelligence officials told the outlet that authorities are examining the attack as a potential act of international terrorism.
The FBI has confirmed that the two West Virginia National Guard members remain in critical condition.
During an online national address late Wednesday, President Donald Trump condemned the incident as a “savage attack”, noting that one Guardsman “was shot at point-blank range in a monstrous ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House.”
He further described the shooting as a “heinous assault”, calling it “an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity.”
Trump added that “The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families. The love of our entire country is pouring out for them, and we are lifting them up in our prayers as we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
At a press briefing earlier in the day, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser emphasized the deliberate nature of the assault. “This is a targeted shooting,” she said. “One individual appeared to target these guardsmen. That individual has been taken into custody.”
