The shocking attack near the White House that has left two West Virginia National Guard members fighting for their lives has triggered a sweeping federal investigation and renewed criticism of the Biden administration’s post-withdrawal immigration policies.
Federal officials now say the accused shooter, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the United States through “Operation Allies Welcome” after the fall of Kabul in 2021—raising new questions about vetting measures and resettlement decisions made during the chaotic evacuation period.
Details confirmed by intelligence officials reveal that Lakanwal had previously worked alongside U.S. entities in Afghanistan, including the CIA, as part of a partner force in Kandahar.
He entered the U.S. within weeks of the withdrawal, when the administration was accelerating admissions of Afghan nationals connected to U.S. operations.
His prior association with American intelligence teams reportedly served as a central factor in the decision to bring him into the country.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe sharply rebuked the move, saying the administration leaned on Lakanwal’s past cooperation to justify resettlement.
“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,” Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital.
In remarks underscoring his frustration, he added, “The individual—and so many others—should have never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures. God bless our brave troops.”
The FBI has taken control of the case, and senior intelligence leaders confirm the investigation is being handled as a potential international terrorism matter.
Federal authorities are reviewing Lakanwal’s communications, background and movements since his arrival in the United States while the Guardsmen remain in critical condition.
Officials have not yet indicated whether any broader networks or foreign ties are suspected, but the terrorism review signals the seriousness with which the federal government is approaching the attack.
President Donald Trump used a national address Wednesday night to condemn the shooting, calling it a “savage attack” and recounting how one Guardsman “was shot at point-blank range in a monstrous ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House.”
He described the act as “an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror,” emphasizing that it represented “a crime against our entire nation” and even “a crime against humanity.”
Extending sympathy to the victims, he said, “The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families… the love of our entire country is pouring out for them.”
He vowed accountability, stating that he intends to ensure “the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed the shooting was intentional, saying the attacker specifically targeted the Guardsmen.
“This is a targeted shooting,” she said. “One individual appeared to target these guardsmen. That individual has been taken into custody.”
As investigators reconstruct Lakanwal’s path from Afghanistan to the U.S., the incident is reigniting debate over the vetting of evacuees admitted under 2021 emergency authorities—and whether early decisions made during the withdrawal continue to carry security consequences today.
