Shooting reported near White House

[dotr]

Suspect who shot National Guard soldiers in DC worked with CIA in Afghanistan

Officials also reveal the Afghan suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove across the country from Washington state before the attack.

www.bbc.com

Officials release picture of suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal

'Our colleagues at BBC Afghan have been sent new pictures of Rahmanullah Lakanwal by a member of his family in Afghanistan and by a former military commander who served alongside him.

Using facial recognition software, alongside visual comparisons between the picture provided by the FBI and those from Afghanistan, BBC Verify has confirmed that they all show the same man.'

'

 

[NuttMegg]

I have corrected my post to say "attempted" murder. Hope it stays that way and these young Guardsmen survive.

Me too.

 

[otto]

He served 10 years alongside US commandos in Afghanistan, arrived with his family in Bellingham in 2021, and was granted asylum in April 2025.

"The suspect is a 29-year-old man from Afghanistan who came to the US four years ago after the Taliban seized power. CIA Director Ratcliffe reported that Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with the Americans in Kandahar, including through his intelligence agency. Citing a family member, Lakanwal served ten years in the Afghan army alongside US commandos.
...

The United States had a special immigration policy for Afghans who had collaborated with the Americans and feared for their lives after the Taliban seized power. Approximately 76,000 Afghans came to the United States thanks to "Operation Allies Welcome."
...

The Associated Press spoke with the suspect's former landlord, who said he moved to the city of Bellingham in the far northwest of the US in 2021. He had his wife and five children with him.

[He was] granted asylum [protection and the right to stay in the United States] in April 2025."

VS schort asielverzoeken Afghanen op na aanslag op Garde in Washington

Voor de aanslag zit een Afghaanse immigrant vast. Twee gardisten raakten ernstig gewond.

nos.nl

 

[dotr]

Nov 27, 2025
At a press briefing, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro discussed Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard service-members.

 

[MassGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1994113008713269615

 

[otto]

Nov 27, 2025
At a press briefing, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro discussed Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard service-members.

She forgot to mention that the shooter was granted asylum in April 2025.

That seems like an important detail to omit.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

He served 10 years alongside US commandos in Afghanistan, arrived with his family in Bellingham in 2021, and was granted asylum in April 2025.

"The suspect is a 29-year-old man from Afghanistan who came to the US four years ago after the Taliban seized power. CIA Director Ratcliffe reported that Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with the Americans in Kandahar, including through his intelligence agency. Citing a family member, Lakanwal served ten years in the Afghan army alongside US commandos.
...

Something doesn't add up.

He arrived in the US in 2021, is 29 years old and served for 10 years alongside US forces in Afghanistan. So he must have joined up at the age of 15.

Not impossible, I guess.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Something doesn't add up.

He arrived in the US in 2021, is 29 years old and served for 10 years alongside US forces in Afghanistan. So he must have joined up at the age of 15.

Not impossible, I guess.

Is it common for 15 year old kids to serve alongside US forces overseas? Honest question, as I have no idea, and have never heard of such a thing.

 

[otto]

Something doesn't add up.

He arrived in the US in 2021, is 29 years old and served for 10 years alongside US forces in Afghanistan. So he must have joined up at the age of 15.

Not impossible, I guess.

Hard to say. He arrived in the US at the age of 25 with five children. The claim of 10 years serving alongside US commandos came from family members.

Would US commandos hire a 15 year old Afghan youth to provide information and to translate? Would US commandos refuse help from an Afghan citizen if he was 15 years old?

"CIA Director Ratcliffe told Fox News that Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with the Americans in Kandahar, including through his intelligence agency. NBC News reports, citing a family member, that Lakanwal served ten years in the Afghan army alongside US commandos."

VS schort asielverzoeken Afghanen op na aanslag op Garde in Washington

Voor de aanslag zit een Afghaanse immigrant vast. Twee gardisten raakten ernstig gewond.

nos.nl

 

[otto]

What will happen to this man's wife and five children? They were granted asylum in April 2025. Will that be withdrawn? Will they be sent to live under the Taliban in Afghanistan, or will they be left alone as victims of a terrible tragedy?

 

[Stunned]

Hard to say. He arrived in the US at the age of 25 with five children. The claim of 10 years serving alongside US commandos came from family members.

Would US commandos hire a 15 year old Afghan youth to provide information and to translate? Would US commandos refuse help from an Afghan citizen if he was 15 years old?

"CIA Director Ratcliffe told Fox News that Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with the Americans in Kandahar, including through his intelligence agency. NBC News reports, citing a family member, that Lakanwal served ten years in the Afghan army alongside US commandos."

VS schort asielverzoeken Afghanen op na aanslag op Garde in Washington

Voor de aanslag zit een Afghaanse immigrant vast. Twee gardisten raakten ernstig gewond.

nos.nl

He might have lied about his age for food and some sence of safety. IMO

 

[otto]

Hard as it is to believe that a 15 year old Afghan youth was utilized by the CIA in Afghanistan, I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[otto]

He might have lied about his age for food and some sense of safety. IMO

Maybe. It's also possible that a 15 year old CIA spy (in a sense) could hide in plain sight.

 

[Ontario Mom]

What will happen to this man's wife and five children? They were granted asylum in April 2025. Will that be withdrawn? Will they be sent to live under the Taliban in Afghanistan, or will they be left alone as victims of a terrible tragedy?

They didn't shoot anyone, he did. It doesn't seem like there'd be a legit reason to deport them if they were also granted asylum.

 

[justtrish]

Hard to say. He arrived in the US at the age of 25 with five children. The claim of 10 years serving alongside US commandos came from family members.

Would US commandos hire a 15 year old Afghan youth to provide information and to translate? Would US commandos refuse help from an Afghan citizen if he was 15 years old?

"CIA Director Ratcliffe told Fox News that Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with the Americans in Kandahar, including through his intelligence agency. NBC News reports, citing a family member, that Lakanwal served ten years in the Afghan army alongside US commandos."

VS schort asielverzoeken Afghanen op na aanslag op Garde in Washington

Voor de aanslag zit een Afghaanse immigrant vast. Twee gardisten raakten ernstig gewond.

nos.nl

I think it's likely that he joined the Afghan army at 15 and not necessarily working with the US Army at that point, but it's possible the news wrote he worked with the US Army for 10 years when it's just that he was in the Afghan Army for 10 years and during those years he worked alongside the US Army. Here in the US it's typically 17 with parent consent or 18 otherwise to being serving, but other countries have different ages. IMO

 

[Eli9]

Dad of National Guard solider shot in DC says she will not survive

Sarah Beckstrom's dad Gary Beckstrom provided the heartbreaking update on Thursday, just one day after his daughter was shot in Washington D.C.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[knla]

Dad of National Guard solider shot in DC says she will not survive

Sarah Beckstrom's dad Gary Beckstrom provided the heartbreaking update on Thursday, just one day after his daughter was shot in Washington D.C.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Cryptic]

He may have been upset about how we abandoned the non Taliban Afghans and how sloppy the withdrawal was. Didn't the Taliban execute a bunch of the Afghans who helped the US? Or he was just a cold blooded terrorist belonging to a sleeper cell.

I imagine he could of had any number of issues, some of which you illustrated. But.... I really like @NuttMegg 's inclusion of a possible loss of social status and difficulty adjusting to life in the United States.

Looking at what he was....

- Likely assessed as a very low risk immigrant as he served in an elite anti Taliban commando force for years. Likewise, he was closely affiliated with US Special Forces and the CIA.

Likewise, looking at what is apparently lacking in his attack:

- Apparently no manifesto, no sworn allegiance to Al Queda or ISIS. No apparent signs of radicalization via traditional clothes, mega beard etc. No justifications using verses from the Koran etc.

My guess is that the core motive could be a blend of spices: A lot of life issues, not happy with life and wants out. He then does a "suicide by cop-" in a way guaranteed to get negative attention?

 

[knla]

According to a CNN report, the suspect walked up to three National Guard members who appeared unaware of him until he opened fire. He shot one guard, then another, before standing over the first victim and appearing to attempt another shot. At that point, the third guardsman returned fire.

National Guardsmen shot in Washington DC: What happened, who’s the suspect?

Trump calls it a 'terror' attack, as US officials identified an Afghan national as the suspect, announcing visa curbs.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[sds71]

Clarification about NCTC vetting of alleged Afghan shooter from a senior US official:
The alleged Afghan shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal began working with the CIA around 2011 (yes he may have been 15 but it was common at that time for Afghans to forge birth certificates to appear to be 18 or older before applying to work with US government.There are also few records kept in Afghanistan of birth and don’t was often hard to know anyone’s exact age.)

At the time CIA would have done its own vetting of him through a variety of databases, including NCTC database, to see if he had any known ties to terrorist groups. That does NOT mean that NCTC did the vetting of him before he began working for the CIA. The CIA did its own vetting and kept the identities of those they worked with secret. Among the databases CIA would run his name through before working with him would have been - again among several- the NCTC database.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1994094725872361822