Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old man accused of fatally shooting National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and seriously injuring Andrew Wolf, 24, in Washington DC last week, reportedly faced significant mental health challenges in the years before the attack.
Emails from 2024, obtained by CBS News, show that Lakanwal experienced “manic episodes” and often spent weeks alone in a dark room, according to a case worker assisting his family with relocation after they fled Afghanistan.
Background: Afghan Relocation to the US
Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 through the Operation Allies Welcome program, which brought Afghans who had assisted US troops to safety after the chaotic withdrawal of American forces. He applied for asylum in 2024, which was approved earlier this year.
He lived with his wife and five children in Bellingham, Washington, far from the location of last week’s attack. Officials have not yet disclosed a clear motive for the shooting.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal Untreated Mental Health
The case worker, who was helping the family access US services, described Lakanwal as socially withdrawn and dealing with untreated mental health issues.
In an email dated January 11, 2024, the worker said Lakanwal had been unemployed for a year and that the family faced eviction. “World Relief volunteers are trying to patch things for that family but I think the father has mental health issues that are not addressed, and he won’t talk to anyone,” the email read.
Another email from January 31, 2024, reported that Lakanwal “spends most of his time for weeks on end in his darkened bedroom, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife and older kids.” The worker also noted that Lakanwal experienced “manic episodes for one or two weeks at a time where he will take off in the family car” and had periods where he would attempt to “make amends.”
Rahmanullah Lakanwal Worked with US Forces in Afghanistan
Friends and former colleagues have stated that Lakanwal had worked in Afghanistan as a member of the “Zero Unit,” an intelligence and paramilitary force that collaborated with the CIA. CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed his cooperation with US intelligence during the conflict.
A childhood friend also told the New York Times that Lakanwal experienced mental health issues stemming from his work with the unit.
Homeland Security and Radicalization Concerns
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated in an interview with NBC that officials believe Lakanwal had been “radicalized since he’s been here in this country,” likely through connections within his home community and state.
US Government Response
Following the incident, President Donald Trump announced a temporary halt to migration from “all third world countries” and instructed US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause all asylum decisions “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.” Trump indicated that the pause could last “for a long time.” Lakanwal was shot during the attack and remains hospitalized. He now faces murder charges in connection with the deaths and injuries of the National Guard members.
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