This photo provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday shows Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
US Attorney’s Office/AP
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US Attorney’s Office/AP
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man who allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday previously served in one of Afghanistan’s elite counterterrorism units, according to AfghanVac, a nonprofit run by U.S. veterans and others who served in Afghanistan.
According to AfghanIvac, the unit was operated by the CIA with direct US intelligence and military support.
Lakanwal’s unit, NDS-03, operated under the direction of the CIA and fought the Taliban on behalf of the US government, the group said.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement earlier Thursday that the shooter involved in the attack, who came to the US from Afghanistan in 2021, was admitted to the US “due to his prior work with the US government, including the CIA.”
They are likely to be screened multiple times during their trip to the United States, according to a group that works with Afghans to help the United States.
Lakhanwal was evacuated by US forces in August 2021, following the fall of Kabul in the first year of the Biden administration.
He arrived in the US under humanitarian parole, the temporary authority used to expel thousands of Afghans on special immigrant visas and Afghans who worked with the US and were at risk from the Taliban. He applied for asylum in the Biden years and was granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration.
During a press conference on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel said Lakhanwal’s involvement with US and allied forces in Afghanistan will be a central focus of the investigation.
“The topic had to do with partner forces in Afghanistan,” Patel said. “We are also thoroughly investigating that aspect of his background, including any known associates he may have either overseas or here in the United States.”
Patel also said, without providing evidence, that Lacanwal was allowed to enter the US by the Biden administration without proper vetting. Patel blamed “the failure to investigate this individual and countless others in any way, shape or form.”
Lakanwal had an active Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) application, given to those who worked with the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although he had received head of mission approval, a mandatory step for SIVs, he had not yet been granted lawful permanent residence – or a green card.
AfghanIVAC said both chief of mission clearance and asylum applications would require review and investigation by the US government, including the CIA.
In an interview with NPR, Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanVac, said it was too early to say whether Lakenwal needed further investigation.
“We don’t know yet. If there was an investigation failure, we have to fix that, but we can’t paint this entire community with a broad brush, OK? The vast majority of Afghans who have come here are just good upstanding citizens,” Vandiver said.
Screening for asylum includes identity and background checks, biometric checks, personal interviews, and an assessment of individual risk and eligibility under US law. People granted asylum can apply for a green card after one year.
“This violent act does not reflect the Afghan community, which continues to contribute across the United States and undergoes the most extensive vetting of any immigrant population,” AfghanIvacs said in a statement.
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