Report says National Guard shooting suspect worked with US agencies in Afghanistan
Afghan national in custody previously worked with US government entities, including the CIA, according to Fox News
ISTANBUL
The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House previously worked with multiple US government agencies, including the CIA, during the war in Afghanistan, according to intelligence officials cited by Fox News in a report.
Authorities identified the suspected gunman as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who was taken into custody after the attack on Wednesday in central Washington, D.C.
The two Guardsmen, both from West Virginia, remain in critical condition.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it has paused all immigration processing for Afghan nationals, issuing the statement shortly after the shooting. The agency did not say when processing might resume.
According to the report, Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the federal resettlement effort launched following the US military withdrawal from the country, the collapse of the previous Afghan government, and the Taliban’s return to power.
The outlet reported that intelligence sources said Lakanwal had previously served with a partner force in Kandahar that worked alongside US agencies, including the CIA.
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 US government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation."
“The individual—and so many others—should have never been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe added.
Multiple intelligence sources told the media outlet that authorities are examining whether the shooting may have been inspired by international terrorism.
President Donald Trump denounced the attack in a video message from Florida on Wednesday, calling it “an act of terror” and “a crime against humanity.”
“This heinous assault was an act of evil and hatred,” Trump said.
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