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EXCLUSIVE: The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members a block from the White House worked with various U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, as a member of partner forces in AfghanistanFox News Digital has learned.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29 years old, arrived in the United States immediately after the disastrous withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 under the Biden administration. Lacanwal arrived in the United States a month later as part of Operation Welcome Allies.
TWO NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE, AFGHAN NATIONAL SUSPECTS IN DETAIL: 'ACT OF EVIL'
National Guard soldiers are gathering after two members of the unit were shot and killed in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Intelligence sources told Fox News Digital that Lakanwal had previous relationships with various entities within the US government, including the CIA, due to his work as a member of the partner forces in Kandahar.
“Following Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified the alleged shooter's delivery to the United States in September 2021 by his previous work with the US government, including the CIA, as a member of partner forces in Kandahar, which ended shortly after the chaotic evacuation,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“This man – and many others – should never have been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe continued. “Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing consequences of the Biden administration’s disastrous failures.”
Ratcliffe added: “God bless our brave troops.”
Fox News Digital has learned that the FBI is taking over the investigation.
Several senior intelligence sources told Fox News Digital that the shooting is being investigated as a possible international terrorism.
FBI officials confirmed that two West Virginia National Guardsmen remain in critical condition.
Law enforcement officers secure the area after National Guardsmen were shot at in downtown Washington, D.C., November 26, 2025. (Brendan Smelowski/AFP via Getty Images)
In an online address to the nation Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump called the shooting a “brutal attack” and described how one of the Guardsmen “was shot at point-blank range during a horrific ambush just steps from the White House.”
Trump added that the “heinous attack” was “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity.”
“The hearts of all Americans are with these two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families tonight,” he added. “The love of our entire country is pouring out for them and we hold them in our prayers as we are filled with pain and grief for those who were shot, we are also filled with righteous anger and fierce determination. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who committed this atrocity pays the highest price possible.”
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“This is a targeted shooting,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser explained during a press conference Wednesday afternoon after the shooting. “One individual appears to have targeted these guardsmen. This person was taken into custody.”
