Afghan man charged in Guard shooting ‘drove across US’

An Afghan man who worked for the CIA in his home country and immigrated to the United States in 2021 traveled from Washington state to shoot two West Virginia National Guard members stationed in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House, U.S. officials said.

The suspect worked for a CIA-backed special Afghan army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to his cousin, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to explain the brazen act of violence Wednesday afternoon.

Pirro stated at the press conference that the guards were 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe.

Both remained hospitalized in critical condition.

The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, launched an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson pistol, Pirro said.

The suspect faces charges of assault with intent to kill and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.

“It’s too early to tell” what the suspect’s motive was, Pirro said.

Saying that the charges could be upgraded, Pirro said, “We pray that they survive and that the highest charge is not first-degree murder. But make no mistake, otherwise that will definitely be the charge.”

The rare shooting of National Guard members on U.S. soil the day before Thanksgiving comes amid court fights and a broader public policy debate over President Donald Trump’s administration’s use of the military to combat what officials describe as an out-of-control crime problem.

The US administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington DC.

The suspect in custody was also shot and had injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

A resident of the eastern Afghan province of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal’s cousin said Lakanwal was originally from that province and that he and his brother worked for a special Afghan Army unit known as Unit Zero in the southern province of Kandahar.

He said he last spoke to Lakanwal about six months ago.

Both siblings moved to the United States in 2021, the cousin said.

He said Lakanwal started working in the unit as a security guard in 2012 and was later promoted to team leader and GPS specialist.

Authorities said Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States in 2021 through President Joe Biden’s administration’s Operation Allied Welcome, a program that removed and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The initiative brought nearly 76,000 people to the United States, many of whom worked as translators and translators alongside U.S. soldiers and diplomats.

He has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump’s allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over alleged loopholes in the review process and speed of passage; although advocates say it offers a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban retaliation.

Lakanmal lived with his wife and five children in Bellingham, Wash., about 70 miles north of Seattle, former landlord Kristina Widman said.

The spy agency’s director, John Ratcliffe, said in a statement that before his arrival in the US in 2021, the suspect had been working with the US government, including the CIA, “as a member of a joint force in Kandahar”.

He said the relationship ended shortly after the chaotic evacuation of US troops from Afghanistan.

Trump on Wednesday night called for a reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who came under Biden’s administration.

“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” he said, adding that the shooting was “a crime against our entire nation”.

Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser interpreted the attack as a direct attack on the United States, not specifically Trump’s policies.

“Someone crossed the country and came to Washington DC to attack America.” Bower said.

“This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”