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The suspect in the shooting that left two National Guard members critically wounded in Washington, D.C., has been identified.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, served alongside the two victims, officials and a relative confirmed via NBC News. Lakanwal opened fire at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday (November 26).
Two National Guard members who were on patrol were struck during the shooting, which took place within a short distance from the White House. Lakanwal was also shot during the incident and is also hospitalized, according to authorities.
The incident is believed to be a targeted shooting. A relative said that Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021, having previously served 10 years in the Afghan army alongside U.S. Special Forces troops, which included being stationed at a base in Kandahar.
“We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” the relative said, specifying that he and Lakanwal were supporting U.S. troops.
“I cannot believe it that he might do this,” he added.
Lakanwal came to the U.S. five months after former President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban reclaiming power in the country. Lakanwal, who grew up in the Khost province, was reportedly living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children prior to the shooting and worked for Amazon and Amazon Flex when the relative had last spoken to him several months prior.
“I don’t know what happened,” the relative told NBC News. “I need your help to know why this happened.”