Washington DC suspect who shot this seriously wounded two National Guard members was an Afghan citizen who served with U.S. troops in Afghanistan, officials and relatives said.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwala, according to four senior law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation, opened fire at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the White House, wounding two National Guard patrol officers.
The suspect also suffered a gunshot wound in the incident and was taken to the hospital, authorities said.
Officials said it was a targeted shooting.
A relative of Lakanwala said he arrived in the United States in September 2021 after serving 10 years in the Afghan Army with U.S. Special Forces. According to a relative, Lakanwal was stationed at a base in Kandahar for part of the time he served in the army.
The relative who spoke to NBC News served in Lakanwala supporting U.S. troops.
“We were the ones who were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” he said.
“I can’t believe he could do this,” the relative added.
Lacanwal came to the United States five months after…President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistanwhat led to Capture of the country by the Taliban.
Lakanwal, who grew up in Khost Province, lived in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, a relative said.
The relative said he had not spoken to Lakanwal for several months. The last time they spoke, Lakanwal was working at Amazon and Amazon Flex.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
“I don’t know what happened,” said the relative, his voice trembling with emotion. He added: “I need your help to find out why this happened.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on X that the suspect was “one of many untested people paroled en masse into the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration.” Operation Allied Welcome It's a Biden-era directive to support “vulnerable Afghans” and those who worked alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan to resettle safely in the United States.
In a speech Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he was “determined” to make sure the shooter “pays the highest price possible.”
Trump said the suspect was flown to the United States by the Biden administration in September 2021 and that his status was extended under Biden-era legislation. Trump then called for re-screening of everyone who entered the United States from Afghanistan during the Biden administration.
The suspect was identified as an Afghan national who used a handgun, according to two senior U.S. law enforcement officials.
Sean VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group AfghanEvac, said in a statement that Afghan immigrants and wartime allies who resettle in the United States undergo rigorous security screening and that “this individual's isolated and violent act should not be used as a pretext to define or disparage an entire community.”
Late Wednesday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it was processing immigration requests involving Afghan nationals. “suspended indefinitely Further review of safety and vetting protocols is expected.”
Iqbal Sapand And Jennifer Jett contributed.
