National guard shooting suspect spent ‘weeks on end’ in isolation, emails show | Washington DC
It was revealed that the suspect, who shot two West Virginia national guard soldiers in Washington DC on the eve of Thanksgiving, struggled with his mental health as he struggled to assimilate in the years since his arrival in the United States, sometimes spending “weeks” in isolation.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s mental health had been deteriorating for years, leaving him unable to hold a job, shuttling between long, dark stretches of isolation and taking sudden cross-country trips lasting weeks, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press.
The emails reveal mounting warnings about Lakanwal, whose erratic behavior raised alarm long before last week’s attack. His behavior deteriorated so sharply that a community advocate feared he was becoming suicidal and approached a refugee organization for help. However, they did not see any indication that Lakanwal would use violence against another person.
20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom lost her life in the conflict, while 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe is in critical condition. Lakanwal, 29, was charged with first-degree murder. He was shot by another national guard member during the incident and was also taken to hospital.
Lakanwal was working in Afghanistan with a special CIA-backed Afghan army unit known as Unit Zero. It entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans following a chaotic U.S. withdrawal. Many worked with U.S. soldiers and diplomats.
According to the community member, he relocated to Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five sons, all under the age of 12, but had difficulty assimilating.
The emails described a man unable to hold a steady job or commit to English classes as he alternated between “periods of dark isolation and periods of reckless travel.” Sometimes he would spend weeks “in his dark room, not talking to anyone, not even his wife and older children.” At one point in 2023, the family faced eviction after not paying rent for months.
In an email sent on January 31, 2024, a caseworker said Lakanwal “has been dysfunctional as a person, father, and provider since March 03/2023 of last year.”
The caseworker, who has supported many Afghan families and spoke to Lakanwal through a translator, described him to CBS News as a very gracious host, talkative and charismatic, adding that a drastic transformation in his personality was noticed in 2024.
A former Afghan commando told the press that Lakanwal was deeply disturbed by the death of his close friend and fellow Afghan commander in 2024; The former commando said he unsuccessfully sought asylum in the United States.
But there were also “transitional” weeks in which Lakanwal tried to make amends and “do the right things,” reconnecting with the Washington state department of social and health services, as required by U.S. entry requirements, according to the emails. “However, this quickly turned into ‘manic’ episodes lasting a week or two at a time, where the family would take off in their car and drive non-stop,” the email stated. He went once to Chicago and once to Arizona.
In response to the two emails, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) visited Bellingham a few weeks later in March 2024 and attempted to contact Lakanwal and his family, AP reported.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said last week that Lakanwal drove across the country from Bellingham, about 80 miles north of Seattle, to the nation’s capital.
“Rahmanullah was a man who was extremely proud and capable in the world he came from, and felt defeated in the world he came from,” the case worker told CBS News.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that Lakanwal “has been radicalized since he’s been in this country.” “We believe it was through connections within his community and state, and we will continue to talk to those who interacted with him,” he said, without providing further details.
