A national refugee organization received [1] repeated warnings beginning in 2023 that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of killing one National Guard member and critically injuring another in Washington, D.C., was experiencing severe mental and behavioral deterioration, according to emails obtained by the Associated Press.
Lakanwal, 29, was granted asylum in April 2024 despite the documented concerns and despite failing to maintain required contact with Washington state social services.
He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and the shooting of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, on the day before Thanksgiving.
The emails were sent by a local community advocate to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, describing significant changes in Lakanwal’s behavior beginning in early 2023.
“Rahmanullah has not been functional as a person, father, and provider since March of last year [2023]. He quit his job that month, and his behavior has changed greatly,” the community member wrote in January 2024.
The individual also told the agency that they worried Lakanwal had become suicidal.
Lakanwal was part of the CIA-backed Zero Unit in the Afghan Army before being brought to the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome.
It was under President Obama that the mission in Afghanistan became all about assassinations, aka “night raids.” His CIA developed and deployed the Zero Unit death squads in which Rahmanullah Lakanwal reportedly served. Apparently the horror of it shattered his mind. https://t.co/GMCzHtIFkJ [2] pic.twitter.com/XTD3Lx1eQ9 [3]
— Seth Harp (@sethharpesq) November 27, 2025 [4]
He moved to Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and their five young sons.
According to the emails, he struggled to adjust to life in the country, did not maintain steady employment, and did not progress in learning English.
The community member described a pattern in which Lakanwal experienced prolonged periods of isolation and extended episodes of erratic travel.
The emails stated that he sometimes spent weeks in his “darkened room, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife or older kids.”
During what the person described as manic periods, “take off in the family car, and drive nonstop,” the emails said, noting that he sometimes traveled as far as Chicago or Arizona for up to two weeks at a time.
The concerns also included his failure to stay in contact with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, a requirement under the terms of his entry into the United States.
According to the emails, Lakanwal complied only intermittently, with brief stretches in which he would “do the right things” before returning to isolation or extended absences.
The community advocate expressed worries about the welfare of the children.
When Lakanwal’s wife traveled to visit relatives and left him alone with their sons, the children reportedly arrived at school unwashed, wearing dirty clothes, and not having eaten well.
Their school alerted authorities about the situation.
The family also faced eviction at one point in 2023 after several months of unpaid rent.
According to the emails, USCRI attempted to visit the family in March 2024 after receiving two messages from the advocate.
When no further updates came, the advocate believed Lakanwal had declined assistance.
It remains unclear whether the warnings were reported to any state or federal authorities.
New details are emerging after Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly shot two National Guardsmen just two blocks from the White House. Secy. of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says he “could have been radicalized” in the U.S. Mola Lenghi has more. https://t.co/q0rlzcMqUw [5] pic.twitter.com/j7rR5XRQN4 [6]
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) December 1, 2025 [7]
Authorities say Lakanwal drove from Bellingham to Washington, D.C., earlier in the week before allegedly opening fire on Beckstrom and Wolfe at around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday.