What Is Known About The Suspect In The Shooting Of Two US National Guard
US authorities have identified the man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday as Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
US authorities have identified the man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday as Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
He is a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously served in the former Afghan army and was resettled in the United States in 2021 as a partner of US forces.
Washington police said the suspect ambushed the two service members without any verbal exchange and shot them in the head. Investigators recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the attack. Lakanwal was also wounded by gunfire. According to reports by Time and NBC News, citing security officials, he was shot four times but his injuries were not life-threatening.
Time, quoting one of Lakanwal’s close friends, reported that he grew up in Afghanistan’s Khost province before joining the Afghan National Army. He later served in Kandahar, where he worked alongside US special forces.
The friend said both he and Lakanwal had been targeted by the Taliban as partners of US forces and that their lives were in danger after the Taliban takeover in 2021. He told NBC: “We were the people the Taliban hunted in Afghanistan,” adding that he could not believe Lakanwal would carry out such an attack. He said the last time they spoke, several months ago, Lakanwal had been working for Amazon and Amazon Flex, delivering packages in his personal vehicle.
A relative told NBC the family had lost contact with him in recent months and did not know what changes he may have experienced. “I don’t know what happened,” the relative said, adding that he wanted to understand the circumstances that led to the shooting.
Reports of past service with US-linked Afghan special forces
NDTV, citing Taliban sources, reported that Lakanwal had previously served in “Unit 01,” an elite Afghan special forces unit that was trained and equipped by US intelligence agencies. Those sources claimed that some former members of the unit had struggled with psychological problems, though US officials have not confirmed those claims.
Both Time and NBC reported that after arriving in the United States, Lakanwal settled in Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and five children.
According to US government records, Lakanwal entered the country in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the programme created to resettle vulnerable Afghans and local partners of US forces after the withdrawal.
The Department of Homeland Security said he was admitted under humanitarian parole, a temporary status permitting limited stay and work rights. CNN reported that Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April 2025, giving him lawful refugee status.
After the shooting, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the suspension of all immigration processing for Afghan nationals pending additional security reviews, a move directly linked to the case and criticised by Afghan refugee-advocacy groups.
John Ratcliffe, former director of the CIA, told Fox News that Lakanwal had worked with several US government entities in Afghanistan, including the CIA, describing him as a member of a US-partnered force in Kandahar. Ratcliffe said the Biden administration justified his resettlement in 2021 on the basis of that past cooperation.
Counterterrorism officials said the FBI is treating the case as a potential act of terrorism, though investigators have not identified a motive. Authorities confirmed that Lakanwal acted alone and that no additional suspects are being sought.
