Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, drove his car for 42 hours from coast to coast across the United States with the intention of carrying out an attack. He traveled the nearly 2,700 miles between Bellingham, the city where he lived with his wife and five children, north of Seattle, and Washington, D.C., carrying a .357 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver with six rounds in the chamber.
Lakanwal is the man arrested by police after shooting and seriously wounding two members of the West Virginia National Guard on Wednesday afternoon near the busy Farragut West Metro station, close to the White House. Lakanwal has been charged with possession of a firearm and faces three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Authorities believe Lakanwal, who acted alone, traveled with a premeditated plan to launch the attack. It was the eve of Thanksgiving, the nation’s most popular holiday. The capital was bustling, with thousands of Americans preparing for their last-minute shopping. At 2:15 p.m., the suspect crossed the corner of 17th Street and I Street, an area frequented by tourists and federal officials due to its proximity to the White House.
He encountered a group of National Guard troops, part of the troop deployment ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump to combat what he considers the capital’s “crime emergency.” Upon seeing the soldiers, Lakanwal opened fire: one soldier was shot and fell to the ground. The assailant leaned over to fire again at the fallen soldier. He then turned to wound another National Guard member before being apprehended after an exchange of gunfire with other guardsmen in which he was wounded.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, are the two National Guard volunteers who were wounded in the shooting. They are in critical condition at the hospital, and although they have undergone surgery, their condition remains serious, according to a statement made by the District of Columbia’s Attorney General, Jeanine Pirro, at a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Two uniformed guardsmen were ambushed in a brazen and targeted attack,” said Pirro during a news conference on Thursday. “A lone gunman opened fire without provocation, ambush-style.”
When asked about the possible motive for the close-range attack against the National Guard members, she replied: “It’s too soon to say. There are definitely areas we’re looking into but not ready to say.”
Patel described the case as an “ongoing investigation of terrorism,” without providing further details.
Lakanwal was a CIA collaborator during the fight against the Taliban, according to authorities. CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that the detainee worked with an allied military unit in Kandahar during the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Ratcliffe did not specify Lakanwal’s role during that period.
Sources cited by The New York Times say that the detainee served in Kandahar in a so-called Zero Unit of the Afghan intelligence service. These were paramilitary forces trained to carry out night raids against suspected Taliban targets. They were known as death squads for their cruel and ruthless methods and have been accused of widespread killings of civilians by human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch.
The U.S. newspaper reports that a childhood friend of the detainee revealed he suffered from mental health problems and was traumatized by the operations he was involved with in Afghanistan. The friend insists he was unstable and frequently smoked marijuana.
Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kabul. The Biden administration had launched a program to prevent Afghans who had served with the army from falling into the hands of the Taliban. The resettlement program, known as Operation Allies Welcome, allowed for the repatriation of approximately 76,000 Afghans to the United States for humanitarian reasons, according to The New York Times. Nearly a thousand refugees were transferred to Whatcom County, in the northwest of the country, near Bellingham. World Relief, a humanitarian organization that assists refugees during their first 90 days in the United States, is headquartered there.
Terrorism charges
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed in a Fox News interview Thursday that the Justice Department intends to charge Lakanwal with terrorism offenses, which could carry a potential life sentence. Bondi explained that the charges will depend on whether any of the victims die from their gunshot wounds. “We will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty,” she said.
FBI Director Kash Patel explained that the agency has interviewed several witnesses and is investigating multiple locations in the capital and along the West Coast. During the raids, investigators seized numerous electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, iPads, and other materials that are currently being analyzed, he said.
Trump made an extraordinary appearance Wednesday night to address the attack. From his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, he blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the tragedy; criminalized immigrants and blatantly exaggerated the number of refugees who entered the country during the Democrat’s presidency. “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan,” he declared.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People.”
In response to the shooting, the U.S. president ordered the deployment of another contingent of 500 National Guard members to Washington on Wednesday. Around 2,300 personnel have been stationed in the capital since last summer under an executive order issued by Trump, justified as a measure to combat the city’s high crime rates, even though crime figures are at their lowest in 30 years. National Guard members are also taking part in raids against immigrants.
The presence of the National Guard in some cities governed by Democrats has become a national political issue. The opposition views it as an exercise in intimidation and an abuse of power, since, in theory, soldiers have no jurisdiction in cities. Washington’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, expressed her opposition to the deployment. “These young people should be at home in West Virginia with their families.” she said.
Last week, Jia Cobb, a federal judge in Washington, ruled that the Trump administration could not keep the National Guard deployed in the capital after the local government challenged the president’s order in court. Cobb suspended her ruling for three weeks to give the White House time to withdraw the troops and file an appeal. After Wednesday’s tragic incident, the administration asked Cobb to vacate her decision.
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