The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard troops in Washington DC may have been blackmailed by the Taliban, according to investigators.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, a former Afghan fighter, faces first-degree murder charges after allegedly opening fire on two West Virginia soldiers just blocks from the White House on November 26, killing one and critically wounding the other.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation exclusively told The Daily Beast that one line of inquiry US intelligence is currently pursuing is whether a Taliban hit squad threatened the suspect’s family.
The sources indicated that Lakanwal may have been forced complete the mission or face his loved ones in Afghanistan being beaten, killed or even beheaded.
‘It is by no means our only line of inquiry,’ one intelligence source told the outlet. The source has worked with authorities assisting Afghans who are targeted for their work with the West.
‘People in this country have no idea about the level of stress these people are under,’ they added.
Donald Trump and prominent MAGA figures have labeled the married father-of-five a ‘monster’ and ‘terrorist,’ arguing that the deadly attack in the nation’s capital could put him on track for the death penalty.
According to the report, Lakanwal had been concerned about his financial situation and feared that the Trump administration could block his Green Card application, potentially requiring him to return to Afghanistan.
Still, investigators remain puzzled as to why Lakanwal would drive cross-country on a supposed suicide mission armed with nothing more than a revolver to target heavily armed military personnel.
They pointed out that he has no prior criminal record, no extremist ties and has been screened by two administrations.
While Joe Biden’s administration initially allowed Lakanwal into the US in September 2021 as a refugee under Operation Allies Welcome, his visa expired and in 2024 he applied for asylum. This was granted by the Trump administration in April 2025.
A White House official told the Daily Mail that Lakanwal would not have been removed from the country because of his parole status.
‘This Afghan national was paroled into the US by the Biden Admin,’ the White House official said.
‘After that, Joe Biden signed into law that parole program, and entered into the 2023 Ahmed Court Settlement, which bound USCIS to adjudicate his asylum claim on an expedited bases. Regardless of asylum status, this monster would not have been removed due to his parole status, granted by Joe Biden.’
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that Lakanwal had direct links to the CIA from his work alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan as a GPS tracking specialist.
‘The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government, including CIA,’ Ratcliffe admitted.
He said his involvement with the CIA was ‘as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation.’
But despite his service to the US, Lakanwal was reportedly under significant pressure from the terrorist group, which, according to the Daily Beast sources, has led authorities to examine the potential for coercion.
He assisted American forces in evacuating Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration in August 2021 and was one of the last to leave, given the severe risks if he had remained, according to the outlet.
Some 700 Scorpion Forces members are believed to have been detained in Afghanistan because of their work with US and allied forces and face a high risk of Taliban retaliation.
Yarmouk 60, a Taliban military unit, has been actively hunting Afghans who worked with the West in the five years since the US evacuation, and in some cases, has reportedly killed them.
Sources told The Swamp that in one instance, a member of another elite Afghan unit, the Afghan Triples, escaped to Germany, but in retaliation, Yarmouk 60 killed his wife, father and four children – including the beheading of two daughters.
‘Most of them have families back home, and if the Taliban cannot get to them, they are making it very clear that they will go after their families,’ intelligence sources told The Swamp.
Lakanwal was arrested after the deadly shootout that occurred just 800 yards from the White House last week.
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were left in critical condition after surgery. Trump announced last Wednesday that Beckstrom had died from her injuries, while Wolfe remains hospitalized.
Officials said during a press conference that Lakanwal drove from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to the nation’s capital before firing at troops with a .357 revolver.
The following day, after Beckstrom passed away, his charges were upgraded from three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence to first-degree murder.
The upgraded charges came as the president revealed that he is considering deporting the Lakanwal’s family, including at least five children.
Shortly after the attack, a longtime friend revealed that Lakanwal struggled with his mental health, haunted by the horrors he witnessed and the violence he carried out while serving in the CIA-backed ‘Zero Unit.’
‘When he saw blood, bodies, and the wounded, he could not tolerate it,’ the childhood friend told The New York Times. ‘It put a lot of pressure on his mind.’
The father-of-five was part of the elite paramilitary outfit which engaged in combat with the Taliban during the war in Afghanistan, often referred to as a ‘death squad.’
While his role within the unit is not clear, his taskforce was often linked to night raids, covert operations and was suspected of carrying out executions.
‘He would tell me and our friends that their military operations were very tough, their job was very difficult, and they were under a lot of pressure,’ the friend said.
