The Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday previously worked with the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan, officials have confirmed.
Following the attack at the Farragut West Metro Station, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an immediate, indefinite pause on processing immigration requests for Afghan nationals to review vetting protocols.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly opened fire on the guardsmen—identified as 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe and 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom—roughly a mile from the White House.
According to reports from journalist Julio Rojas, Lakanwal shouted “Allahu akbar!” before shooting both victims in the head with a Smith and Wesson revolver. The assault ended when another guardsman on the scene stabbed Lakanwal with a pocketknife, and a fourth service member shot the suspect.
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Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021, shortly after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News that the suspect had been brought to the U.S. based on his prior work with the government as a member of a partner force in Kandahar Province.
“The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States… due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA,” Ratcliffe stated, criticizing the vetting process used during the 2021 evacuation.
In response to the shooting, USCIS stated on X regarding the freeze on Afghan immigration requests: “The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
The attack adds to ongoing security concerns in the capital. President Donald Trump ordered a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department in August after a Department of Government Efficiency staffer was severely injured intervening in a carjacking.
READ: Ambush In DC: Trump Orders Troop Surge After National Guard Shooting
Wednesday’s shooting also follows the October arrest of Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, another Afghan national charged in Oklahoma City in connection with a plot to utilize AK-47-style rifles in an attack.
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