Afghan national charged for Nat’l Guard shooting showed major red flags: Report

New emails show that a concerned community member in Bellingham, Washington, warned that the Afghan national charged with shooting two National Guard members near the White House in Washington, D.C., was not “functional as a person” long before last week’s shooting. According to The Associated Press, emails obtained by the outlet show that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, …
Read more

---

New emails show that a concerned community member in Bellingham, Washington, warned that the Afghan national charged with shooting two National Guard members near the White House in Washington, D.C., was not “functional as a person” long before last week’s shooting.

According to The Associated Press, emails obtained by the outlet show that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national charged with shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., displayed multiple warning signs prior to last week’s shooting incident.

The Associated Press reported that Lakanwal served as a member of the Afghan Army’s Zero Unit, which was supported by the Central Intelligence Agency, prior to his arrival in the United States as part of former President Joe Biden’s military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lakanwal entered the United States legally as part of Operation Allies Welcome, which helped tens of thousands of Afghans resettle.

According to The Associated Press, an anonymous community member, who provided the outlet with emails previously sent to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, explained that Lakanwal resettled in Bellingham with his wife and five sons following the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The community member noted that Lakanwal struggled after resettling in the United States.

In an email sent to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in January of 2024, the community member warned, “Rahmanullah has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year, 03/2023. He quit his job that month, and his behavior has changed greatly.”

READ MORE: Video: Trump gives major update on Nat’l Guard soldier shot in DC

The Associated Press reported that the community member’s emails show that Lakanwal had trouble holding a steady job and completing his English courses, experienced “periods of dark isolation and reckless travel,” and spent weeks in a “darkened room, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife or older kids.” The outlet noted that Lakanwal’s family faced eviction in 2023 after failing to pay rent for multiple months.

According to The Associated Press, the anonymous community member warned that he was worried Lakanwal would eventually harm himself due to his depression. However, the community member noted that there were “interim” weeks where the Afghan national tried to “do the right things.”

“But that has quickly evolved into ‘manic’ episodes for one or two weeks at a time, where he will take off in the family car, and drive nonstop,” the community member noted in an email.

The Associated Press reported that while the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants visited Bellingham in March of 2024 after receiving the community member’s emails, the organization did not have meaningful contact with the Afghan national. The community member assumed that Lakanwal refused the organization’s help.