Officials say the suspect, who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome, previously served with a U.S.-backed partner force in Afghanistan.
The Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House previously worked with multiple U.S. government entities—including the CIA—while serving with a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan, according to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era resettlement program launched after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal had an established relationship with various entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, due to his role with a partner force in Kandahar, Ratcliffe told Fox News during an interview published Nov. 26.
“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 U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” the CIA chief told the outlet.
The Epoch Times reached out to the CIA for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Targeted Shooting Near White House
The shooting happened at about 2:15 p.m. ET on Nov. 26 near 17th and I Street NW, Jeff Carroll, the Metropolitan Police Department’s executive assistant chief of specialized operations, said.
Carroll said a lone gunman “came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members.”
Other guardsmen at the scene were able to subdue the suspect “after some back and forth,” Carroll said. Lakanwal was taken into custody and later transferred to a hospital.
The two wounded guardsmen, members of the West Virginia National Guard assigned to Joint Task Force-DC, remain in critical condition, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Initial reports about their condition were conflicting, officials acknowledged.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the shooting was targeted and vowed the suspect would be prosecuted “to the full extent of the law.”
Joint Task Force-DC said in a statement to The Epoch Times that its members were patrolling near the Farragut West Metro Station when they came under fire.
By Tom Ozimek
