"The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members blocks from the White House had been unraveling for years, unable to hold a job and flipping between long, lightless stretches of isolation and taking sudden weekslong cross-country drives. Rahmanullah Lakanwal's behavior deteriorated so sharply that a community advocate reached out to a refugee organization for help, fearing he was becoming suicidal."
"Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal mounting warnings about the asylum-seeker whose erratic conduct raised alarms long before the attack that jolted the nation's capital on Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving. The previously unreported concerns offer the clearest picture yet of how he was struggling in his new life in the United States."
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan asylum-seeker who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, had a pattern of worsening behavior, isolation, unemployment, and sudden long drives. Community advocates and emails flagged mounting concerns and fears he might be suicidal. A community member who worked with Afghan families was stunned by his alleged attack, recalling him playing with his sons. Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder after one National Guard member was killed and another critically wounded near the White House. Officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, reported beliefs he may have been radicalized since arriving.
Read at Fortune
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