Afghan suspect in National Guard shooting worked for elite CIA unit

The Afghan is accused of capturing two Nationwide Guardsmen simply steps from the White Home on the day earlier than Thanksgiving and was serving in an elite CIA counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan, in accordance with new particulars rising Thursday concerning the suspect’s background.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, served in Afghanistan with NDS-03, an elite unit operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and army assist, in accordance with Afghan Evac, a nonprofit that works with Afghans on particular immigrant visas (SIV).

Lakanwal’s unit operated in Afghanistan’s southern area – in Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan – from the previous compound of the late Taliban chief Mullah Omar, generally known as ‘Mullah Omar’s home’ and ‘Camp Gecko’ by US forces.

NDS-03 was considered one of about 5 paramilitary teams that labored with the CIA. They have been generally known as “zero models” due to the numbers that adopted their designation as Nationwide Directorate of Safety (NDS) or Afghan Intelligence.

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Undated file photograph of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect within the capturing of two Nationwide Guard troopers in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. (Offered by the Ministry of Justice)

The models’ Afghan members have been properly vetted and skilled by the CIA and carried out among the hardest counter-terrorism missions towards the Taliban, Al Qaeda and others. They have been very dependable and brave, in accordance with those that labored with them.

Lakanwal legally entered the US in 2021 on humanitarian parole as a part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, which adopted the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover of the nation. The operation aimed to assist and resettle weak Afghans, together with those that had assisted U.S. forces prior to now.

Nationwide Guard members stand collectively behind yellow tape, after two Nationwide Guard members have been shot close to the White Home in Washington, DC, November 26, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

His asylum utility was accepted in April 2025 beneath the Trump administration, the nonprofit mentioned.

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U.S. Lawyer for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the vetting course of throughout a information convention Thursday.

DC U.S. Lawyer Jeanine Pirro speaks throughout a press convention with FBI Director Kash Patel and different authorities concerning the capturing of two Nationwide Guard members on November 26 in Washington, DC, November 27, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

Pirro mentioned the capturing is an instance of what occurs “on this nation when individuals are allowed in who haven’t been correctly vetted.” Patel mentioned the Biden administration allowed “1000’s of individuals into this nation with out doing a single background verify or vetting.”

A senior US official advised Fox Information that the CIA itself allegedly vetted him by means of a number of databases, together with the Nationwide Counterterrorism Heart (NCTC) database, to see if he had any recognized ties to terrorist teams earlier than working with him.

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Lakanwal started working with the CIA round 2011, when he was possible 15 years previous, in accordance with the official, who added that the CIA allegedly stored the identities of these they labored with secret.

The official famous that it was frequent on the time for Afghans to forge their delivery certificates to seem 18 or older earlier than making use of to work for the U.S. authorities. Few official delivery information are stored in Afghanistan, and it was usually troublesome to know somebody’s actual age, the official added.

NCTC reportedly vetted him for any hyperlinks to terrorism throughout Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 earlier than permitting him to enter the US, the senior official mentioned.

“When it comes to vetting, nothing got here up,” the senior US official advised Fox Information. “He was clear in any respect checks.”

The senior official added that the US authorities has been constantly conducting annual checks because the Afghans arrived within the US, particularly within the wake of the foiled terror plot in Oklahoma earlier than final 12 months’s elections involving an Afghan evacuee.

Lakanwal is accused of capturing Nationwide Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, close to the Farragut West Metro station Wednesday round 2:15 p.m.

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Pirro mentioned the suspect “ambushed” the couple in a “focused” assault. The suspect was then shot by a responding Guardsman and subdued. He was hospitalized and positioned beneath “heavy guard,” she mentioned.

Beckstrom and Wolfe remained in crucial situation after present process surgical procedure, Pirro mentioned.