DC National Guard terror suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal was ‘radicalised’ after coming to US
The Afghan shooter who killed a National Guard member was radicalised in America after entering under a Biden-era program, officials confirm.
The Afghan immigrant accused of shooting two National Guard troops in Washington, DC, last week was likely “radicalised” after he came to the US, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who previously worked on one of the CIA’s “Zero Units” in Afghanistan before being allowed into the US in 2021, was arrested last Wednesday for the shooting rampage, which killed one National Guard troop and critically wounded another.
“I will say we believe he was radicalised since he’s been here in this country,” Ms Noem told NBC’s “Meet the Press”.
“We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him.”
“So far we’ve had some participation,” she added. “We will never allow this to continue to happen in our country, allow individuals who came to our country that were unvetted by Joe Biden, allowed to run free and loose.”
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SUSPECT EXPECTED TO RECOVED FROM INJURIES
The suspect is expected to recover from his own injuries — while the surviving guardsman is still fighting for his life.
“I think the guy’s going to live. Nobody’s going to be able to say anything and he’s going to stand trial,” a law enforcement official told The Post, providing an update on the condition of alleged shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29.
“I know that he underwent surgery the night it happened,” said the official, who noted that the DC trial process would require prosecutors to hold back information on Lakanwal, who allegedly fired on two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House on November 26.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died on Thanksgiving, the day after the ambush.
A spokesperson for Joint Task Force — DC, which oversees the deployment, said there were no updates on the second Guard member, Andrew Wolfe.
He was in critical condition following the shooting.
“Andrew is fighting for his life right now,” West Virginia Governor Patrick James Morrisey told Fox & Friends.
Wolfe’s heartbroken family is “asking for prayers” as the hero fights for his life.
“Just pray for my son,” Jason Wolfe, the 24-year-old’s father, told The Post.
Republican Riley Moore revealed the West Virginia native is “hanging on.”
“Andy is hanging on. And he is a fighter and his family has told me that time and time again, he is a fighter,” the West Virginia Republican told FOX & Friends Weekend.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the government will bring charges of first-degree murder against the alleged gunman.
“There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” she said following the death of Beckstrom.
US HALTS ALL ASYLUM DECISIONS IN WAKE OF SHOOTINGS
The Trump administration has halted all asylum decisions and paused issuing visas for people travelling on Afghan passports days after the shooting near the White House.
Investigators are continuing to seek a motive in the shooting, with the suspect an Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War.
The man applied for asylum during the Biden administration and was granted it this year under the Trump administration, according to a group that assists with resettlement of Afghans who helped U.S. forces in their country.
The Trump administration has seized on the shooting to vow to intensify efforts to rein in legal immigration, promising to pause entry from some poor countries and review Afghans and other legal migrants already in the country. That is in addition to other measures, some of which were previously set in motion.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after the Wednesday shooting, and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was hospitalised in critical condition.
They were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of Mr Trump’s crime-fighting mission in the city. The president also has deployed or tried to deploy National Guard members to other cities to assist with his mass deportation efforts but has faced court challenges.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said the charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal also include two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. In an interview on Fox News, she said there were “many charges to come.”
‘ULTIMATE PRICE’: DC ATTACK SUSPECT GETS FIRST DEGREE MURDER CHARGE
The suspected Afghan terrorist accused of ambushing two National Guard soldiers faces an upgraded first degree murder charge now that one of them has died, US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro announced, saying he “should” pay “the ultimate price.”
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is accused of gunning down 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and leaving her fellow Guardsman, Andrew Wolfe, 24, critically wounded when he allegedly opened fire just blocks from the White House on Wednesday, local time.
“There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” Ms Pirro told Fox News.
The upgraded charges come after Beckstrom tragically died of her injuries in a hospital on Thanksgiving.
Prior to her death, the crazed suspect had already been facing charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence over the bloodshed.
“What happened at that crime is unmistakeable. It is a premeditated murder. There was an ambush with a gun toward people who didn’t know it was coming,” Ms Pirro said.
“This is a case that has touched the hearts of so many Americans … to be gunned down on the streets on the nation’s holiday is an outrage — and the individual who did this will pay the ultimate price.”
“As well he should, when and if a jury returns a verdict that we will be seeking.”
FEMALE NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER DIES FROM INJURIES
Sarah Beckstrom, one of the West Virginia National Guard members shot in a cowardly ambush by an Afghan refugee, has died.
Donald Trump announced the passing of the 20-year-old during a Thanksgiving evening address.
“She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now,” President Trump said.
Beckstrom had been listed in critical condition after being shot in the chest and the head.
It comes after her devastated father said he expected she would not survive.
“She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery,” Gary Beckstrom told the New York Times.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” he added.
SUSPECT ENTERED US UNDER BIDEN SCHEME, WASN’T VETTED
Afghan immigrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29 – accused of shooting West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest DC – was let into the country in 2021 under the Biden-Era Operation Allies Welcome.
He applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal “should never have been allowed to come here”.
“This Afghan national was paroled in by the Biden Administration,” Mr Ratcliffe said. “Regardless if his asylum was granted or not, this monster would not have been removed because of his parole.”
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the CIA head said.
“The Trump Administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration, which failed to vet these applicants on a massive scale.”
A top Trump administration intelligence official said that the suspect was “not vetted” before being allowed to enter the US in 2021.
Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, posted on X that the Biden administration was to blame for the lapse in vetting of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, which has led to the death of Guardswoman Sarah Beckstrom.
“During Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, his administration negligently used the vetting standard described above as the standard for being brought directly into the U.S., foregoing previous vetting standards applied to Special Immigrant Visas and any common sense vetting or concern for Americans,” Mr Kent said.
SUSPECT FORMER SPECIAL FORCES, SHOCKED FAMILY REVEALS
Lakanwal was a member of the Afghan Army stationed in Kandahar where he supported US Special Forces in the region, a relative told NBC News.
He was injured while serving in the army and fled Afghanistan for America.
“We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” the relative told the outlet.
“I cannot believe it that he might do this,” he said.
Lakanwal had previously worked with several US government agencies, including the CIA, giving Joe Biden’s administration justification to grant him asylum, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News.
The suspected shooter had worked with the intelligence entities as part of a worker with partner forces in Afghanistan.
“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,” Mr Ratcliffe told the outlet.
“The individual – and so many others – should have never been allowed to come here,” Mr Ratcliffe continued.
“Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Officials said the suspect has a wife and five children.
A search warrant was conducted at the suspect’s home in Bellingham, Washington, where officials found “numerous electronic devices,” said FBI director Kash Patel.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the suspect has a brother in the United States, ABC US reported.
VICTIMS VOLUNTEERED, WERE SWORN IN 24 HOURS BEFORE SHOOTING
The brave guardswoman shot by a crazed gunman was identified as 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, Ms Pirro said.
“Both Sarah and Andrew were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” Ms Pirro revealed
Tragically, Ms Beckstrom had volunteered to work that day so others could spend Thanksgiving with their families.
“She volunteered to be there on Thanksgiving … as did many of those guardsmen and women so other people could be home with their families,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News.
“Yet now, their families are in hospital rooms with them while they are fighting for their lives.”
The Afghan shooter allegedly opened fire on the two National Guard members with a 357 Smith and Wesson revolver she also revealed.
‘KEEP FIGHTING BUDDY’: NATIONAL GUARDSMAN IDENTIFIED
The West Virginia National Guardsman shot in a violent ambush has been identified as Andrew Wolfe, 24.
“Our Applemen community is deeply saddened to learn that Musselman High School alumnus, Andrew Wolfe, was one of the National Guardsmen injured in the shooting in Washington, DC. today,” Musselman High School in West Virginia posted on Facebook.
Wolfe is currently undergoing surgery and is in critical condition after Afghan national
“Please keep Andrew, his family, and all those affected in your thoughts. We will share updates as we receive them,” the post said.
Several relatives, friends, and community members rallied around Wolfe and his family in social media posts late Wednesday.
“Please pray for my dear friend Andrew Wolfe,” one user wrote.
“Oh Andy! So many good times and great memories at our house! We love you so much Andrew Wolfe Keep fighting Buddy!” another post said.
The young Guardsman who lives in Martinsburg is also an avid cornholer, according to several pictures of him smiling with friends at tournaments.
“As we head into Thanksgiving, please keep our friend in your prayers. He was shot today while serving our country, and our hearts are with him and his family,” the Beltway Baggers, which runs regional tournaments for the American Cornhole League in Virginia, wrote on Facebook alongside a picture of Wolfe throwing up a peace sign.
“We’re praying for his strength, healing, and for his family during this incredibly difficult time. We love you Andy!” the statement said.
FURY AFTER NATIONAL GUARD’S PRESENCE IN DC QUESTIONED
A fired-up US Attorney Jeanine Pirro snapped over suggestions that the two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot in Washington DC were only there because of President Trump’s orders.
“I don’t even want to talk about whether they should have been there,” Ms Pirro said when probed on whether troops should have been deployed to the nation’s capital in the first place.
“We’ve got to kiss the ground and thank God that the President said ‘it’s time to bring in more law enforcement to make sure that his city that had the fourth highest homicide rate in the country, that that violence was quelled.’”
“I’m not even going to go there,” she raged.
– with The New York Post and AFP
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Originally published as DC National Guard terror suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal was ‘radicalised’ after coming to US