DC Shooting Suspect Worked with CIA and US Forces in Afghanistan Before US Entry, Intelligence Director Confirms
The suspect in the targeted shooting of two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday has been confirmed by intelligence officials to have a previous working relationship with United States government entities, including the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, during the war in Afghanistan. CIA Director John Ratcliffe issued a statement on Thursday confirming the prior affiliation, noting that the suspect, identified by law enforcement as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was admitted to the U.S. in 2021 due to his work as a member of a “partner force in Kandahar” that supported the U.S. military presence until the withdrawal.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a twenty-nine-year-old Afghan national, entered the United States in September 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, a humanitarian parole initiative implemented by the previous administration to resettle vulnerable Afghans following the Taliban takeover of the country. According to a former military colleague, Lakanwal commanded a unit of Afghan special forces that worked directly alongside U.S. and British troops during the two-decade war. He later applied for asylum, which was reportedly granted in 2025 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The two National Guardsmen, who are members of the West Virginia National Guard contingent deployed to the capital, remain hospitalized in critical condition following the ambush-style attack near the Farragut West Metro station. The suspect was also shot during the incident and is in police custody at a local hospital. Director Ratcliffe’s confirmation of Lakanwal’s past ties to the CIA immediately intensified the politically charged debate surrounding the vetting process for Afghan evacuees. President Donald Trump, who publicly labeled the incident an “act of terror,” has seized on the news, ordering an immediate and indefinite halt to the processing of all immigration requests for Afghan nationals and calling for a full review of all individuals admitted under the Operation Allies Welcome program. Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed a motive for the shooting, which D.C. police have classified as a “targeted assault.”
