Afghan suspect in DC Nationwide Guard assault appeared to undergo private disaster : NPR

When Rahmanullah Lakanwal got here to the U.S. from Afghanistan he appeared full of life and filled with hope, however over the course of years, he slipped into isolation and was vulnerable to taking cross nation drives with out telling his household, based on a volunteer who labored carefully along with his household.

Lakanwal, an Afghan nationwide, is accused of capturing two Nationwide Guard troopers on November 26. A type of troopers, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died from her wounds. On Monday, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey described the opposite guardsman, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, as in “critical” situation.

“My largest concern was that [Lakanwal] would hurt himself,” the refugee resettlement volunteer advised NPR. “I nervous he can be suicidal as a result of he was so withdrawn.”

The volunteer spoke with NPR on situation of anonymity as a result of they stated they feared for his or her security, and the protection of others of their volunteer group, due to attainable retaliation for having labored with Afghan refugees together with the Lakanwals.

They stated once they first met Lakanwal in 2022 at his house in Bellingham, Wash., he appeared hopeful and outgoing. “He was outdoors along with his youngsters laughing and enjoying and having animated conversations with different Afghan males,” they stated.

Lakanwal held jobs for transient durations and hosted gatherings at his house, the volunteer stated, however by 2023 he started isolating himself and appeared “defeated” by the challenges of discovering regular work and adapting to life within the U.S.

The volunteer shared emails with NPR despatched in January of 2024 that raised alarms about Lakanwal’s well-being.

“He spends most of his time in his darkened bed room, not chatting with anybody, not even his spouse and older youngsters,” one e mail stated. “I personally imagine that [Mr. Lakanwal] is affected by each PTSD and from his work with the US navy in Afghanistan,” the volunteer wrote, including that they’re “not a healthcare skilled.”

Talking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem stated U.S. officers imagine Lakanwal was “radicalized” whereas residing within the U.S.

“We do imagine it was via connections in his house group and state and we will proceed to speak to those that interacted with him,” Noem stated.

However the volunteer who labored with Lakanwal and different Afghan refugees in Washington state advised NPR they noticed no signal of radicalization. As an alternative they described a person who appeared to be experiencing a deepening private disaster, sophisticated by Lakanwal’s poor English-language abilities and deepening cultural isolation. The volunteer stated there have been no organized assets for refugees past their preliminary welcome.

“Households have been simply in my thoughts deserted into the group,” the volunteer stated.

This photograph supplied by the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, reveals Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

AP/U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace

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AP/U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace

Earlier than coming to the U.S. in 2021, Lakanwal served in one among Afghanistan’s elite counterterrorism items, based on AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that helps Afghan refugees run by U.S. veterans and others who served in Afghanistan. Lakanwal’s unit was operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and navy help, based on AfghanEvac, and fought the Taliban on behalf of the U.S. authorities.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated in a press release final week that the shooter concerned within the assault was admitted into the U.S. “resulting from his prior work with the U.S. Authorities, together with CIA.”

The volunteer advised NPR they’d no detailed data of Lakanwal’s navy duties and by no means noticed him expressing hostility towards the U.S. They stated his more and more erratic conduct by no means recommended any type of menace or hazard.

“I used to be so shocked that this occurred. I requested myself, have been there warning indicators? No,” the volunteer stated.

Whereas the volunteer could not present perception into Lakanwal’s attainable motive for the alleged assault, they have been conscious of him making lengthy drives just like the one which took him to Washington, D.C. final week. Starting in 2023, Lakanwal would disappear for weeks at a time within the household automobile, roaming so far as Arizona and Illinois.

“He drives day and evening and sends map pins to one of many volunteer sponsors and we will seize photographs from Instagram tales, however no different communication. His household usually doesn’t know the place he’s or when he will likely be again,” stated one of many volunteer group emails written in January 2024.

Emails shared with NPR additionally point out volunteers in Washington state tried to achieve out to skilled refugee support teams, together with World Aid and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), hoping to search out assist for Lakanwal’s deteriorating psychological state, however they received restricted response.

“A bunch of involved people [volunteering on refugee resettlement] within the Seattle space had a gathering in January 2024 to speak about dwindling assets for these households and frustration was expressed,” the volunteer advised NPR.

NPR reached out to World Aid and USCRI for remark. USCRI did not reply. World Aid despatched a press release declining to say whether or not the group had any involvement in Lakanwal’s resettlement within the U.S.

“We can’t affirm whether or not or not we now have served any particular consumer with out permission from our federal authorities companions who administered the method for bringing Afghans to the US starting in 2021,” the World Aid assertion stated.

The group added that it “supplied providers to these [refugees] assigned to make use of by our governmental companions” and stated it’s supporting legislation enforcement within the investigation of Lakanwal’s case.

Following final week’s violence, the Trump administration moved to freeze refugee circumstances involving Afghan nationals and launched a overview of refugees and migrants from greater than a dozen international locations residing legally inside the US. Activists working with asylum seekers from Afghanistan advised NPR they view Lakanwal’s alleged violence as an remoted case.

“You may’t paint with a broad brush this whole group. The overwhelming majority of Afghans who’ve come listed here are simply good upstanding residents,” stated Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran who heads the group AfghanEvac.