The Afghan national accused of ambushing two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday had previously worked with CIA-backed counterterrorism units during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, the agency confirmed Thursday. The revelation adds another explosive layer to a case that is already raising major questions about the Biden-era Afghan evacuation and vetting process.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, now faces three counts of assault with intent to kill after allegedly walking up to a group of West Virginia National Guard soldiers and opening fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. According to federal authorities, he drove across the country from Washington state before carrying out the attack. The FBI is treating the case as an act of terrorism.
The victims, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, remain in critical condition, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. Speaking at a press briefing, Pirro said that if either Guardsman dies, the charges will immediately be upgraded. “If one of them is to pass, and God forbid that happens, this is a murder-one. Period, end of the story,” Pirro said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Fox News interview Thursday that the Trump administration is considering terrorism charges and may seek the death penalty should the case become a homicide. Bondi emphasized that the shooting was not merely a random act of violence, but a direct attack on U.S. service members standing guard in the nation’s capital.
“This was not just an attack, it was a direct challenge to law and order in our nation’s capital,” Pirro added. Fellow National Guard troops engaged Lakanwal and shot him before taking him into custody. He remains hospitalized under heavy guard.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021 — just after President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan — under “humanitarian parole,” the temporary status used to bring tens of thousands of Afghans into the country with expedited processing. According to nonprofit AfghanEvac, Lakanwal had been part of an elite Afghan counterterrorism unit run by the CIA. The group says he was later granted asylum in the U.S. in April.
Authorities believe Lakanwal lived in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. Law enforcement raided a residence connected to him overnight and seized multiple electronic devices. Patel said the FBI is also investigating a possible connection to an address in San Diego.
Beckstrom and Wolfe had volunteered to serve in Washington, D.C. over Thanksgiving. They had been formally sworn in less than 24 hours before the shooting. “They volunteered to put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know,” Pirro said.
Wolfe’s father, Jason, asked Americans simply to pray. “Please pray for my son. We want prayers,” he told reporters. Friends from Wolfe’s hometown of Martinsburg, West Virginia, described him as a selfless young man with a strong sense of duty. One former teammate said Wolfe entered basic training before even finishing high school because he was eager to serve.
In response to the attack, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Wednesday that it is halting all immigration processing for Afghan nationals pending a full review of Biden-era vetting procedures.
The shooting, combined with Lakanwal’s immigration history and his former CIA-linked role, has intensified calls within the Trump administration for a sweeping reassessment of every Afghan brought into the United States after the fall of Kabul.
