Suspected National Guard shooter worked with CIA and other U.S. entities in Afghanistan
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EXCLUSIVE: The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House worked with various U.S. government entities, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Afghanistan, Fox News Digital has learned.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States on the heels of the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 under the Biden administration. Lakanwal arrived in the United States a month later as part of “Operation Allies Welcome.”
TWO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD SHOT NEAR THE WHITE HOUSE, AN AFGHAN NATIONAL SUSPECT IN DETENTION: “ACT OF EVIL”
National Guard soldiers gather after two other troop members were shot Wednesday in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Intelligence sources told Fox News Digital that Lakanwal previously had relationships with various U.S. government entities, including the CIA, due to his work as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.
“Following Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified transferring the suspected shooter to the United States in September 2021 because of his prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force 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, January 15, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“This individual – and so many others – should never have been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe continued. “Our citizens and our military deserve far better than to endure the continued fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Ratcliffe added: “God bless our brave troops. »
Fox News Digital has learned that the FBI is taking the lead in the investigation.
2 NATIONAL GUARDS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED IN WHITE HOUSE “TARGETED SHOOTING” BLOCKS
Multiple high-level intelligence sources told Fox News Digital that the shooting was being investigated as a possible act of international terrorism.
FBI officials confirmed that the two West Virginia National Guardsmen remain in critical condition.
Law enforcement officers secure the area after a shooting targeting members of the National Guard in downtown Washington, DC, November 26, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
In an online address to the nation Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump called the shooting a “savage attack” and described how one of the guards “was shot and killed at point-blank range in a monstrous ambush-style attack just steps from the White House.”
Trump added that the “heinous assault” 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 tonight go out to these two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families,” he added. “The love of our entire country is poured out for them, and we lift them up in our prayers as we are filled with anguish and sorrow for those who were slaughtered, we are also filled with righteous anger and fierce determination. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal that perpetrated this atrocity pays the highest price possible.”
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“This was a targeted shooting,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon following the shooting. “An individual appears to have targeted these guards. This individual has been taken into custody.”
