According to US reports, the Afghan national who allegedly opened fire on two National Guard soldiers in Washington on Wednesday in what investigators are now treating as a terrorist attack had served with American forces in Afghanistan before arriving in the United States. One of the wounded soldiers has been identified as Andrew Wolfe of West Virginia.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who according to sources was in the country illegally because he stayed after his visa expired, was a soldier in the Afghan army stationed in Kandahar, where he helped US special forces in the region, a relative told NBC News.
Lakanwal was injured during his military service and fled Afghanistan. He arrived in the US in September 2021 under the Biden administration's refugee program Operation Allies Welcome. "We were the ones the Taliban targeted in Afghanistan," the relative of the suspected shooter told NBC. "I still cannot believe he may have actually done this," he added.
Investigators believe Lakanwal lay in wait for the two National Guard members near the White House, waited for the right moment and then opened fire. He allegedly shot the female National Guard soldier in the chest and head before firing at another soldier. Lakanwal was shot and wounded during the exchange of fire.
Meanwhile, US media have already identified one of the soldiers who was shot as Andrew Wolfe, according to a statement from his former high school. "Our community is very saddened to learn that a graduate of Musselman High School, Andrew Wolfe, is among the National Guard members wounded in the shooting in Washington, DC." Wolfe is currently undergoing surgery and is in critical condition. "Please keep Andrew, his family and all those affected by the incident in your prayers."
Another female National Guard soldier who was also shot in the chest and head has not yet been identified.
Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, near the Canadian border, which has taken in additional Afghan refugees. President Trump, in a televised message delivered Tuesday night, called Lakanwal's attack "an act of terror." He said, "It was a crime against an entire nation. It was a crime against humanity."
