National Guard shooting suspect spent weeks isolated in bedroom, case worker's email says

National Guard shooting suspect spent weeks isolated in bedroom, case worker's email says

Brandon Livesay

Mon, December 1, 2025 at 11:57 AM UTC

3 min read

Yellow police tape surrounds four National Guardsmen who are standing close to the scene where two West Virginia National Guard members were shot in Washington, DC, USA — [EPA]

The man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington DC last week spent weeks at a time alone in a dark room and suffered "manic episodes" - according to comments written in 2024 by a case worker who helped the suspect's family with their relocation after they fled Afghanistan.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal is accused of carrying out an "ambush" that killed Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and seriously injured Andrew Wolf, 24.

Officials said the 29-year-old entered the US in 2021 as part of a programme for Afghans who had worked with American troops in Afghanistan.

According to the emails from last year that were obtained by BBC's US partner, CBS News, Mr Lakanwal struggled with his mental health.

In an interview on Sunday with NBC, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that Mr Lakanwal had been "radicalised since he's been here in this country" and that officials believed this happened "through connections in his home community and state".

Mr Lakanwal, an Afghan national, entered the US as part of the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome programme.

This was during the period that after the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. As the Taliban took back control of the country, there were fears of retribution against individuals, such as Mr Lakanwal, who had co-operated with the US.

He applied for asylum in 2024, and his application was granted earlier this year, an official told CBS.

He lived with his wife and five children in Bellingham, Washington - a state on the other side of the country from where last week's attack took place.

A motive is not yet known, but a picture of Mr Lakanwal's life in the US has started to emerge through the emails that were sent last year to non-profit group US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

A picture of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who is the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members, as displayed at a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel, attorney Jeanine Pirro and other authorities — Rahmanullah Lakanwal [Reuters]

The case worker who was helping the family access services in the US sent an email on 11 January 2024, expressing concern that Mr Lakanwal had not been employed for a year and his 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," a section of the email obtained by CBS reads. World Relief is a group that helped with the relocation of Afghan nationals.

In a separate email sent on 31 January 2024, the case worker said Mr 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 case worker, who was not a mental health professional, also said Mr Lakanwal had "manic episodes for one or two weeks at a time where he will take off in the family car". They also said he had periods in which he would try to "make amends".

Last week, a childhood friend told the New York Times that Mr Lakanwal had experienced mental health issues after his work with his unit in Afghanistan.

Mr Lakanwal had been a member of a "Zero Unit" - an Afghan intelligence and paramilitary force that worked with the CIA - a former Afghan defence and security forces member told CBS.

The CIA director John Ratcliffe has also confirmed Mr Lakanwal worked alongside the US intelligence agency.

In the days after the attack in Washington DC, President Donald Trump pledged to "permanently pause migration" from all "third world countries".

The president's administration has halted all asylum decisions "until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible", the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) directorJoseph Edlow said.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he expected the situation to last "for a long time".

Mr Lakanwal, who was shot during the incident and remains hospitalised, faces murder charges, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.

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