SAT . Victims identified in National Guard shooting as investigation into Afghan national suspect ramps up
President Donald Trump announced on Thanksgiving that the female National Guard member injured in the D.C. shooting had died. He said the male Guardsman was still fighting for his life. The alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been taken into custody. Lakanwal entered the U.S. under a visa program pushed by former President Joe Biden.
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West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, has died after being shot Wednesday in a Washington, D.C. ambush just blocks from the White House.
President Donald Trump confirmed the news Thursday night, noting he was told just seconds before speaking to members of the military at Mar-a-Lago.
“I heard that Sarah Beckstrom, of West Virginia, … highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way, she’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her. It’s just happened. She was savagely attacked. She’s dead now.”
The president added the second service member wounded in the attack, Andrew Wolfe, 24, is still “fighting for his life.”
“He’s in very bad shape,” Trump said. “He’s fighting for his life and hopefully we’ll get better news with respect to him.”
He noted the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who Trump called a “monster,” is also in serious condition.
“We won’t even talk about him,” the president said.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
President Donald Trump said he is considering attending the funeral of 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who died Thursday afternoon after being critically wounded in a targeted shooting a day prior in Washington, D.C.
Minutes after announcing Beckstrom’s death from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, he said he had not thought about it yet, but noted “it certainly is something I could conceive of.”
“[I will] have a call in a little while, actually, right after this, [with the families of the two National Guard members who were shot],” Trump said. “We’ll be speaking [to Beckstrom’s family] tonight or tomorrow. You have to give them a little [time]. They just found out about their daughter. You know, you can’t just call two seconds later.”
He added he “love[s] West Virginia” and “won West Virginia by one of the biggest margins of any president anywhere.”
Posted by Alexandra Koch
President Donald Trump on Thursday addressed concerns about the suspect in the fatal National Guard shooting on Wednesday, saying although he was vetted before entering the U.S., “he went cuckoo.”
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, is accused of fatally shooting Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounding Andrew Wolfe, 24, in a violent, targeted attack blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C.
Lakanwal was vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan and was granted final asylum approval under the Trump administration, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.
When asked how an attack like Wednesday’s could take place after vetting, Trump said Lakanwal “went cuckoo.”
“I mean, he went nuts, and that happens. It happens too often with these people,” Trump said. “There was no vetting or anything. … We have a lot of others in this country, and we’re going to get them out, but they go cuckoo. Something happens to them.”
Trump noted “when it comes to asylum, when they’re flown in, it’s very hard to get them out. No matter how you want to do it, it’s very hard to get them out. But we’re going to be getting them all out now.”
Hours earlier, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph B. Edlow announced that at Trump’s direction, there would be a “full scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card issued to immigrants from “every country of concern.”
The 19 countries deemed “high-risk” by the USCIS include: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey reacted to the death of Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, one of the two West Virginia National Guard members wounded in a Washington, D.C. shooting Wednesday, remembering her for her unwavering sense of duty to the nation.
“A few moments ago, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom passed away from the injuries sustained during yesterday’s horrific shooting,” Morrisey wrote in a statement on X. “This is not the result we hoped for, but it is the result we all feared. Sarah served with courage, extraordinary resolve, and an unwavering sense of duty to her state and to her nation. She answered the call to serve, stepped forward willingly, and carried out her mission with the strength and character that define the very best of the West Virginia National Guard.”
“Today, we honor her bravery and her sacrifice as we mourn the loss of a young woman who gave everything she had in defense of others,” he added. “We will forever hold her family, her friends, and her fellow Guardsmen in our prayers as they grieve what no family should ever have to bear.”
Posted by Alexandra Koch
The Trump administration is mourning the loss of 20-year-old National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who died Thursday after being shot a day prior while patrolling in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump announced the death, noting Beckstrom was “highly respected” and “outstanding in every way.”
FBI Director Kash Patel reacted to the news on X, saying she was “a young soldier and patriot with her entire life ahead of her. Please join me in praying for Sarah’s family, friends, and fellow soldiers left behind.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth called Beckstrom “an American hero.”
“An American hero, at home with the LORD,” Hegseth wrote in a post. “RIP, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. May our nation kneel in prayer for her family.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added, “May God Bless Sarah’s family during this unimaginably difficult time.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post she was “devastated,” pledging America will “never forget her courage.”
“Devastated. Please pray for Sarah. Pray for her family. America will never forget her courage,” Bondi wrote. “There WILL BE JUSTICE for Sarah. Continue to pray for Andrew.”
Andrew Wolfe, 24, another Guardsmen wounded in the attack, is still fighting for his life, according to the president.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his heart was heavy.
“My heart is heavy as we learn of the tragic passing of West Virginia National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom,” Rubio wrote on X. “May the Lord receive her into His eternal embrace and grant her family peace and comfort. Continuing to pray for Guardsman Andrew Wolfe.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro previously said charges against suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal would be raised to first degree murder if either of the victims died, opening up the possibility for capital punishment.
In her post, Bondi added that thanks to Trump, “the death penalty is back.”
Posted by Alexandra Koch
In the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new guidance, effective immediately, allowing for “negative, country-specific factors” to be considered while vetting immigrants from more than a dozen countries.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who legally entered the U.S. in 2021 under humanitarian parole, is accused of critically wounding service members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, in an attack blocks from the White House.
Lakanwal was vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan and was granted final asylum approval under President Donald Trump’s administration, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.
USCIS officials said the revised guidance comes after the Trump administration halted refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and the entry of Afghan nationals in its first year of office.
Authorities said it will allow USCIS officers to more meaningfully assess whether an immigrant is a threat to public safety and national security.
“My primary responsibility is to ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow wrote in a statement. “This includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why. Yesterday’s horrific events make it abundantly clear the Biden administration spent the last four years dismantling basic vetting and screening standards, prioritizing the rapid resettlement of aliens from high-risk countries over the safety of American citizens.”
“The Trump administration takes the opposite approach,” he continued. “Effective immediately, I am issuing new policy guidance that authorizes USCIS officers to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests. American lives come first.”
The 19 countries deemed “high-risk” include: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
Neighbors said the suspect in a ruthless attack on members of the West Virginia National Guard on Wednesday reportedly lives with his wife and five children in a scanty Bellingham, Washington apartment without any beds.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, is accused of critically wounding service members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, in a violent shooting blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C.
Neighbors told the New York Post the family lived a quiet life, though they recalled seeing Lakanwal playing Call of Duty, a military-themed first-person shooter video game.
They also noted the apartment did not have any beds, leaving the family to sleep on stray couch cushions.
Strangely, the Post reported neighbors did not see federal agents arrive at Lakanwal’s apartment for about 16 hours after the capital attack, leading them to question whether Lakanwal was the correct suspect.
“I heard loud banging on the door and guys yelling ‘FBI,'” a neighbor told the outlet. “They took everybody out of the apartment but I don’t think the kids were there. It’s pretty shocking.”
“Every sign in the world is pointing [to Lakanwal being the shooter], but there are some things that just aren’t adding up,” they continued. “One thing that stuck out to us was that law enforcement didn’t show up until 16, 17 hours after it happened. It’s hard to [know why he did it] because you don’t know his mindset. You know, if he just snapped.”
The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
The chief of police in Bellingham, Wash., where the D.C. National Guard attack suspect lived, told Fox News Digital that as soon as she learned about the “possible connection” to Bellingham, she called the FBI to offer assistance.
Bellingham Police Department Chief Rebecca Mertzig said on Thursday she is closely monitoring the situation for any updates.
“Our hearts are heavy for the two West Virginia National Guard members who were shot while on active duty yesterday in Washington, D.C.,” Mertzig wrote in a statement. “We stand with them, their loved ones, and all the National Guard members across the nation. Violence like this is horrific and unacceptable.”
“People who serve and protect our communities, like the two wounded West Virginia National Guard members, represent the best of what we strive for, and we honor their service, sacrifice, and courage,” she added.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
A report released by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in June found there were “no systemic failures” in Afghan refugee vetting or subsequent immigration pathways, contrasting recent criticism from politicians in the aftermath of Wednesday’s Washington, D.C. attack.
The shooting suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was identified as an Afghan national who entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome.
A fact sheet published by #AfghanEvac, an umbrella group of nonprofits that helped settle Afghan refugees after the withdrawal, noted the independent federal review confirmed vetting worked as designed.
The OIG’s comprehensive report reviewed the vetting, screening, and admission processes used during and after the Afghanistan evacuation, finding U.S. agencies followed required procedures, including FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, State Department and intelligence community components.
“Biometric and biographic screening worked as intended, including fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition, and watchlist checks,” according to the report. “Information-sharing was effective, and where data gaps existed, agencies used all available tools consistent with U.S. law and policy.”
#AfghanEvac added post-arrival continuous vetting has remained in place, ensuring ongoing monitoring of national security information.
“In plain terms, the FBI’s own watchdog concluded that the U.S. government did what it was supposed to do and that the vetting systems in place were functioning properly,” according to #AfghanEvac.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this post.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
Local and federal law enforcement spent what should have been a joyous and peaceful Thanksgiving holiday with their families, in frigid Washington, D.C. temperatures, at the scene of the brutal attack Wednesday against National Guardsmen blocks away from the White House.
Photos captured authorities at the Farragut West Metro station mopping up blood belonging to the two service members gunned down a day prior in broad daylight.
The two wounded members of the West Virginia National Guard, identified as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, remain in the hospital in critical condition, according to officials.
Authorities said the pair were sworn in less than 24 hours before the attack.
“Please pray for our fallen warriors – and for the countless law enforcement, military, first responders and more spending their Thanksgiving standing guard and protecting Americans across the country,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a statement Thursday on X.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph B. Edlow announced Thursday at the direction of President Donald Trump, he directed a “full scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card issued to immigrants from “every country of concern.”
“The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies,” Edlow wrote in a statement on X. “American safety is non negotiable.”
The specific list of “countr[ies] of concern” has not yet been released.
Hours after the attack Wednesday, USCIS announced processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals was stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.
Posted by Alexandra Koch
The Mayor of Bellingham, Wash., where suspected D.C. attacker Rahmanullah Lakanwal was living, said local police and city officials are working closely with federal authorities in the ongoing investigation.
Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund said in a statement she is directing local resources to be ready to assist the FBI.
“We share the resolve to see justice and accountability for this violent attack,” Lund wrote. “It takes courage to say yes to the job of protecting fellow community members and protecting our country. We honor the courage of the two National Guard members who were wounded in service yesterday.”
“There is no excuse for the heinous, violent attack they suffered,” she continued. “We are holding them and their loved ones in our hearts today, wishing them a full return to health.”
Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
FBI Director Kash Patel previously confirmed authorities searched the suspect’s home and were conducting interviews with Bellingham residents.
“The terrible actions committed in Washington, D.C. yesterday are the actions of one person, not a community,” Lund wrote. “They don’t represent Bellingham’s values. They don’t reflect the values of either Washington. They don’t represent what makes our communities great.”
Posted by Alexandra Koch
Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members shot in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, suffered a mortal wound and is not likely to recover, her father told The New York Times on Thursday.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom told the outlet in a phone interview. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
The status of Andrew Wolfe, the other guard member shot on Wednesday, remains unclear, though he is also in critical condition.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro says charges against suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal will be raised to first degree murder if either of the victims die.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital was “clean on all checks” in a 2021 background check before he came to the U.S., a senior U.S. official told Fox News.
29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal entered the U.S. through former President Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. During that transition, officials say Lakanwal would have undergone a vetting check by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).
“In terms of vetting, nothing came up,” the official said. “He was clean on all checks.”
Prior to his arrival in the U.S., Lakanwal worked with the CIA in Afghanistan, beginning that work as early as 2011. Officials say was not uncommon for Afghans to falsify their age given the poor recordkeeping by the Afghan government.
The official said the U.S. continued an annual vetting process for Afghan evacuees even after they arrived in the U.S., an effort that was redoubled after a foiled terror plot in Oklahoma last year that was linked to another Afghan national.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Former DOJ prosecutor Jim Trusty joined “Fox News Live” to weigh in on the investigation into the D.C. shooting of two National Guardsmen, describing an FBI-led, multi-state investigation that could move into the federal court.
Trusty said investigators will be interviewing the suspect’s friends, loved ones and current and past employers. The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is currently in police custody.
Lakanwal entered the the country from Afghanistan in 2021 following the U.S. military withdrawal.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
New Yorker writer Jane Mayer was called out for her reaction to two members of the National Guard being shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, as she suggested the tragedy’s blame lay at the feet of the Trump administration.
“This is so tragic, so unnecessary, these poor guardsmen should never have been deployed. I live in DC and watched as they had virtually nothing to do but pick up trash. It was for political show and at what a cost,” Mayer said in a post for X.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, has been identified as the gunman accused of shooting the two National Guard members just blocks from the White House on the day before Thanksgiving, law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.
Trump White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to Mayer’s post and said, “Jane, respectfully, shut the f— up for trying to politicize this tragedy. They were protecting DC and trying to make the nation’s capital safer. People like you who engage in ghoulish behavior lose all credibility. Not like you had any to begin with.”
The administration’s Rapid Response account on X criticized Mayer, calling the journalist a “disgusting ghoul.”
Ben Williamson, the assistant director for public affairs at the FBI, also condemned Mayer’s response.
“If you sat down and tried to come up with a disgraceful response it would be damn near impossible to hit this level. Two guardsmen shot in broad daylight and you not only blame their deployment but then lie to trash and downplay their successful service. Delete your account,” he wrote.
Mayer also responded to a post that pointed to the number of homicides in D.C. this year, compared to the number from last year, and accused the person of “mansplaining.”
“I’ve covered crime in Washington since 1981- let’s skip the mansplaining. You can play with the stats but homicides were dropping before the troops got here,” Mayer wrote.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under former President Joe Biden promised to “swiftly and safely” resettle Afghan allies into the United States, but multiple sources have confirmed the D.C. National Guard shooter came in under that same Biden-era program in 2021.
Biden responded to the “targeted” attack in D.C. just before news broke of how the alleged shooter, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States under humanitarian parole via Operation Allies Welcome, per DHS and FBI sources, giving him permission to be in the country legally.
In 2021, amid the Afghan withdrawal debacle, Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised to “swiftly and safely” resettle thousands of Afghan allies into the United States and confirmed that DHS had denied evacuees from entering the U.S. due to “derogatory” information obtained during the vetting process.
After the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that was followed by a Taliban takeover of the country, the Biden administration launched a large operation to support and resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those that had helped U.S. troops in the past.
Due to the rushed nature of the evacuation, plus broader concerns over immigration and parole-release policies, fears arose over whom the country may have been letting in.
Mayorkas said during a September 2021 press conference that 120,000 people had been evacuated from Afghanistan since the beginning of the U.S. withdrawal, just months earlier. The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center found that nearly 800 aircraft evacuated thousands of people over just a 17-day period in August 2021.
At the time, Mayorkas touted the robust biometric screening and vetting process in place — in both the U.S. and transit countries — in order to make sure every individual entering the country was properly screened.
In response to a question at the time from Fox News’ Jake Gibson, Mayorkas confirmed that there already had been individuals flagged with “derogatory information” during the vetting process, but did not specify the number of people flagged.
Mayorkas assured that 400 U.S. Customs and Border Patrol employees and the Transportation Security Administration would be brought up to assist. Part of the effort included moving refugees from military bases designated by the Pentagon to house and vet refugees before they entered the United States.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
The suspect in Wednesday’s shooting of National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan and was granted final asylum approval under President Donald Trump’s administration, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed earlier Wednesday that the alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, worked for the CIA in Afghanistan out of a base in Kandahar. Multiple sources tell Fox that prior to that work, Lakanwal was vetted by the National Counterterrorism Center.
During the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the CIA and U.S. military airlifted many so-called Afghan allies out of the country. Priority was given to those who had badges and a history of working with the CIA, such as Lakanwal.
While further vetting took place for most Afghans who were airlifted out, sources say having a CIA badge would have placed Lakanwal in the “vetted” category. Sources said there was nothing in Lakanwal’s history to suggest he had links to terrorism prior to his entry to the U.S. in September 2021.
Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and reportedly received approval in April, under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro had harsh words for the Biden-era program that allowed the suspect in the National Guard shooting to enter the U.S.
Patel and Pirro delivered an update on the case in a Thursday morning press conference. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the country following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome.”
“This individual is in this country for one reason and one reason alone, because of the disastrous withdrawal from the Biden administration and the failure to vet in any way, in any way, shape or form this individual and countless others, and this administration has taken the rightful step to stop any further allowance of people with this similar background into the country,” Patel said.
“You miss all the signs when you do absolutely zero vetting. And that’s exactly what happened in this case when you in the prior administration, made the decision to allow thousands of people into this country without doing a single piece of background checking or vetting, that’s how you miss every single sign,” he continued.
Pirro likewise called the Biden-era program “ridiculous.”
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
The two young National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday were sworn into service less than 24 hours before the attack.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro made the announcement during a press conference Thursday morning. She identified the two servicemembers as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24.
“Okay, I also want to say that both Sarah and Andrew, I believe, were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” Pirro said Thursday.
Both Beckstrom and Wolfe are out of surgery and remain in critical condition.
Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel say the charges against the suspect will hang on whether Beckstrom and Wolfe survive their injuries.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the two National Guard members who were shot in the nation’s capital on Thursday.
Pirro says the two West Virginia guard members are Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both servicemembers have received surgery but remain in critical condition, she said.
“Sarah and Andrew volunteered. They came here to protect the district,” Pirro said. “Our nation’s capital should not and must not be a place where evil comes to commit violence regardless of what their motives may be.”
Beckstrom and Wolfe had been sworn in as a National Guard member less than 24 hours before the attack.
She went on to echo Attorney General Pam Bondi in saying the charges against the suspect depend on the condition of Backstrom and Wolfe, and she called on Americans to pray for their recovery.
Pirro also condemned the Biden-era immigration program that allowed the suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, to enter the U.S.
Lakanwal is an Afghan national who was granted entrance to the U.S. following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome.”
FBI Director Kash Patel says authorities have executed a search warrant at Lakanwal’s residence in Washington state, and interviews with residents there are ongoing.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Attorney General Pam Bondi says the Justice Department will do “everything in our power” to seek the death penalty for the Afghan national alleged to have shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
Bondi made the comments during a Thursday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying that the two victims are out of surgery but their prognosis remains unclear. The alleged attacker, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, remains in custody.
“We will base our charges based on their prognosis, you know, they both came through surgery. I’m not going to talk about their conditions right now,” Bondi said.
“But if something happens, I will tell you right now. I will tell you early. We will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster who should not have been in our country,” she added.
Bondi confirmed that the two West Virginia servicemembers are a man and a woman, but their identities are remaining private for the sake of their families. Bondi said the woman had volunteered to work in the nation’s capital over Thanksgiving.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, has been identified as the gunman accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House on the day before Thanksgiving, law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.
Lakanwal was taken into custody Wednesday, while authorities said both Guard members were in critical condition. Officials said the shooting is being investigated as a possible act of international terrorism.
More details about Lakanwal have slowly come to light in the hours after the shooting.
Pathway to the US
Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country. The operation aimed to support and resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those that had helped U.S. troops in the past.
The suspect reportedly had his asylum application approved during the Trump administration.
Intelligence sources told Fox News Digital that Lakanwal had a prior relationship with various entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, due to his work as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.
“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,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital.
LIFE IN THE US
Lakanwal had been living in Washington state, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
His former landlord, Kristina Widman, told the outlet that Lakamal arrived in Bellingham, Wash., about four years ago with his wife and five children.
How he traveled the roughly 2,500 miles to Washington, D.C., ahead of Wednesday’s shooting remains unclear.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Stephen Sorace.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., accused the Trump administration of taking “its eye off the ball” on public safety following the Washington, D.C., shooting on Wednesday.
While appearing on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Walkinshaw was asked about whether the recent shooting changed his thoughts about the safety of National Guard officers deployed in the city.
“Well, look, obviously, as I said, most of us certainly on the Democratic side in Congress don‘t think we should have National Guardsmen and women in our cities,” Walkinshaw said. “But if that‘s going to happen and when that‘s going to happen, I think it‘s incumbent upon the administration to lay out a clear plan to ensure their protection. And one of my concerns that I intend to raise as a new member of the Homeland Security Committee is the way in which the Trump administration has taken its eye off the ball in a lot of critical public safety areas and shifted resources to their mass deportation efforts.”
He continued, “So they‘re shifting resources away from illegal gun trafficking, from transnational crime, from anti-terrorism, both domestic and foreign. And they need to get their eyes back on the ball and focus on keeping all of us here in the United States of America safe.”
Walkinshaw reiterated that he still does not believe National Guard members are needed in the city and urged the Trump administration to redirect those resources elsewhere.
“There are a lot of things that the federal government could do to help keep Washington, D.C., safe, and other cities across the country safe,” Walkinshaw said. “I mentioned some of those things. They could do more, much more to crack down on illegal gun trafficking. They could do much more to prevent human trafficking and child sex trafficking. They‘re taking their eyes off of that ball. I think that‘s a better use of the federal resources than National Guardsmen and women in American cities, including the District of Columbia.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to the U.S. military following an attack on service members in Washington, D.C., that left two National Guard members in critical condition.
“They have taken a selfless oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Trump said Wednesday night. “And that is exactly what they were doing when they were gunned down in a savage attack.”
“I want to express my extraordinary gratitude to every member of the United States military who is deployed tonight at home and abroad,” he continued.
“Fox News @ Night” host Kevin Corke said he thought Trump struck “the right tone” with his message.
U.S. Air Force Brigadier General (ret.) John Teichert called Wednesday’s attack a “crime against our nation and against humanity.”
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., said the federal government needs to immediately review every special visa applicant who was allowed to enter the country during the Biden administration, after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members on Wednesday.
“Absolutely sickening,” Justice wrote on X. “If these new reports are true, this ‘Afghan national’ ambushed West Virginia service members in broad daylight—the very ones defending my home state, DC, and beyond.”
“We need to immediately review each and every special visa applicant who was allowed in under the former administration. This can’t happen again,” he added.
The alleged gunman entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The suspect reportedly had his asylum application approved during the Trump administration.
