Community Concerns Grow as National Guard Attack Suspect Battled ‘Dark Isolation

The Afghan national accused of the recent shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House had been facing a personal crisis for years. Unable to maintain steady employment, he oscillated between prolonged periods of seclusion and spontaneous, extended road trips across the country. Concerned by his worsening condition, a community advocate contacted a refugee support organization, fearing that he might be on the brink of suicide.

Correspondence obtained by The Associated Press highlights the escalating concerns surrounding Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an asylum seeker whose increasingly erratic behavior had drawn attention long before the violent incident that shook Washington, D.C., just before Thanksgiving. These previously undisclosed warnings provide a clearer understanding of the difficulties he faced while adjusting to life in the United States.

Despite these red flags, a community member familiar with Afghan families in Washington state was shocked to learn from news reports that Lakanwal was the suspect in the National Guard shooting. The individual recalled seeing Lakanwal interact lovingly with his young sons, making it hard to reconcile that image with the alleged violence. They shared this insight anonymously, as they are cooperating with the FBI’s ongoing investigation.

The attack left West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, critically injured. Tragically, Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries the following day. Authorities are still piecing together the reasons behind this unprovoked ambush.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, now faces a charge of first-degree murder.

In his homeland, Lakanwal served in a special Afghan Army unit known as a Zero Unit, which operated with CIA support. He arrived in the United States in 2021 via Operation Allies Welcome, a program designed to evacuate and resettle thousands of Afghans who had worked closely with American military and diplomatic personnel during the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

He resettled with his wife and their five sons, all under the age of 12, in Bellingham, Washington — but struggled, according to the community member, who shared emails that had been sent to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a nonprofit group that provides services to refugees.

“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,” the person wrote in a January 2024 email.

The emails described a man who was struggling to assimilate, unable to hold a steady job or commit to his English courses while he alternated between “periods of dark isolation and reckless travel.” Sometimes, he spent weeks in his “darkened room, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife or older kids.” At one point in 2023, the family faced eviction after months of not paying rent.

The community member said in an interview that they became worried that Lakanwal was so depressed that he would end up harming himself, but they did not see any indication that he would commit violence against another person.

Lakanwal’s family members often resorted to sending his toddler sons into his room to bring him the phone or messages because he would not respond to anyone else, one email stated. A couple of times, when his wife left him with the kids for a week to travel to visit relatives, the children would not be bathed, their clothes would not be changed, and they would not eat well. Their school raised concerns about the situation.

But then, there were “interim” weeks where Lakanwal would try to make amends and “do the right things,” according to the email, re-engaging with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services as was mandated by the terms of his entry into the U.S.

“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 email outlined. Once, he went to Chicago, and another time, to Arizona.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., said this past week that Lakanwal drove across the country from Bellingham, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Seattle, to the nation’s capital to execute his attack.

In response to the two emails, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants or USCRI, visited Bellingham a few weeks later in March 2024 and attempted to make contact with Lakanwal and his family, according to the community member, who, after not receiving any updates, was left with the impression that he refused their assistance.

A request for comment and clarification from USCRI was not immediately returned.