Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man who allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, previously served in one of Afghanistan's elite counterterrorism units, according to AfghanEvac, a nonprofit run by U.S. veterans and others who served in Afghanistan.
The unit was operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and military support, according to AfghanEvac.
Lakanwal's unit, NDS-03, operated at the direction of the CIA and fought the Taliban on behalf of the U.S. government, the group said.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement earlier Thursday that the shooter involved in the attack, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021, was admitted into the U.S. "due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA."
He is likely to have been vetted multiple times during his journey to the United States, according to the group, which works with Afghans who helped the U.S.
Lakanwal was evacuated by the U.S. military in August 2021, following the fall of Kabul in the first year of the Biden administration.
He arrived in the U.S. under humanitarian parole, the temporary authority used to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghans on special immigrant visas and those Afghans who worked with the U.S. and were at risk from the Taliban. He applied for asylum in the Biden years and was granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration.
During a press conference on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel said Lakanwal's involvement with U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan would be a central focus of the investigation.
"This subject had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces," Patel said. "We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well, to include any known associates that are either overseas or who are here in the United States of America."
Patel also said, without providing evidence, that Lakanwal was allowed into the U.S. by the Biden administration without proper vetting. Patel blamed "the failure to vet any way, in any way, shape or form, this individual and countless others."
Lakanwal had an active special immigrant visa (SIV) application underway, given to those who worked with the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan. Though he had received chief of mission approval, a mandatory step required for the SIV, he hadn't yet been granted lawful permanent residence — or a green card.
AfghanEvac noted that both the applications for chief of mission approval as well as asylum would have required review and vetting by the U.S. government, including the CIA.
In an interview with NPR, the founder of AfghanEvac, Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, said it's premature to say whether Lakanwal warranted more scrutiny.
"We don't know yet. If there was a vetting failure, we've got to fix it, but we can't paint with a broad brush this entire community, right? The vast majority of Afghans who have come here and are just good upstanding citizens," VanDiver said.
Vetting for asylum includes identity and background checks, biometric vetting, in-person interviews, and an assessment of individualized risk and eligibility under U.S. law. Those granted asylum can apply for a green card after one year.
"This violent act does not reflect the Afghan community, which continues to contribute across the United States and undergoes some of the most extensive vetting of any immigrant population," AfghanEvac said in a statement.
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