EXCLUSIVE: The Afghan citizen accused of shooting two National Guard troops not far from the White House had ties to various United States government agencies, including the CIA, as part of an allied force in Afghanistan, Fox News Digital is reporting.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States after the widely criticized withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 under the Biden administration. Lakanwal came to the U.S. a month later under “Operation Allies Welcome.”
TWO NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE, AFGHAN NATIONAL SUSPECT IN CUSTODY: ‘ACT OF EVIL’
Intelligence sources are telling Fox News Digital that Lakanwal had a connection with different entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, because of his work as part of a partner force in Kandahar.
“Following the problematic Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 because of his previous work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as part of a partner force in Kandahar, which concluded soon after the disorganized evacuation,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated to Fox News Digital.
“This person—and so many others—should have never been permitted entry,” Ratcliffe added. “Our citizens and service members deserve much more than to suffer the continuing consequences from the Biden administration’s disastrous missteps.”
Ratcliffe continued: “God bless our courageous troops.”
Fox News Digital is also reporting that the FBI is heading up the investigation.
2 NATIONAL GUARDSMEN CRITICALLY WOUNDED IN ‘TARGETED SHOOTING’ BLOCKS FROM WHITE HOUSE
Numerous high level intelligence sources are telling Fox News Digital that the shooting is being investigated as a potential act of international terrorism.
FBI officials verified the two West Virginia National Guardsmen are still in critical condition.
In a national address online late Wednesday, President Donald Trump called the shooting a “vicious attack” and described how one of the Guardsmen “was shot at close range in a monstrous ambush-like attack just a short distance from the White House.”
Trump added that the “horrific assault” was an “act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity.”
“The thoughts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families,” he continued. “The love of our entire country is pouring out for them, and we are lifting them up in our prayers as we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the highest possible price.”
“This was a targeted shooting,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser explained during a news conference Wednesday afternoon after the shooting. “One individual seemed to target these guardsmen. That individual has been apprehended.”
