Insurrection meets terrorism? In the latest example of political violence against our federal authorities, an Afghan man allowed into the United States by Joe Biden after his disastrous retreat from Afghanistan, shot and critically wounded two West Virginia National Guard troopers in the nation’s capital. Both were critically wounded, and one of them — Sarah Beckstrom — died the next day.
The two troopers were on what is referred to as a high-visibility patrol intended to provide presence and deterrence to crime.
Since the shooter is a foreign national and Muslim, the ambush, just blocks from the White House, is being treated by the FBI as a possible terrorist attack. One of the troops, the 20-year-old Beckstrom, suffered gunshot wounds to the head and chest and was not expected to survive. The other trooper, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, is fighting for his life.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was apparently shot and seriously wounded by a Guardsman, initially faced three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
He reportedly used a .357 Magnum revolver in his ambush attack.
With one of the soldiers now deceased, he will be charged with murder. Lakanwal last lived in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, but had been out of contact for some time, according to reports.
Meanwhile, the FBI is looking into the suspect and any communication or contacts he may have had with foreign terror groups or terror cells within the U.S.
In an unexpected development, the CIA confirmed that the Afghan national accused in the White House-area shooting had previously worked with CIA-backed U.S. forces in Kandahar during the war in Afghanistan. His specific role was not immediately disclosed. Later reporting by Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin revealed that Lakanwal served in NDS-03, a CIA-supported elite counterterrorism unit known as a “Zero Unit.”
These Zero Units — Afghan forces trained and supported by the CIA beginning around 2011 — were the subject of serious human rights allegations, including reports of summary executions during night raids.
Despite CIA vetting in 2011, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) background checks during his 2021 evacuation to the United States, and annual post-arrival screenings showing no terrorism ties, Lakanwal’s case underscores the difficulty of predicting radicalization among vetted Afghan wartime partners resettled in the U.S.
President Trump called the attack “an act of terror,” and the attacker an “animal,” in an address the same night, and said “every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden” must be re-examined, with those who don’t belong expelled.
Following Trump’s orders, Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, vowed to take things further:
“I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
Since the 29-year-old Afghan entered the U.S. under Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for D.C., said: “We’re working very closely with our federal partners … to review his immigration history and the vetting process itself.”
And this is important.
As NBC News reported:
This is not the first time an Afghan national who came to the United States after supporting the United States’ mission in Afghanistan has faced questions about terrorism.
Last year…Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi was arrested by the FBI after being directed by ISIS-K (the Afghanistan based group aligned with ISIS) to conduct an attack on Election Day in 2024.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force was able to detect the plot and make an arrest. Tawhedi worked for the CIA as a security guard as NBC News also first reported.
Note, I worked tirelessly for months to help vetted, at-risk Afghan allies who had worked with U.S. forces or government, escape Taliban rule. Some were interpreters, others provided other substantial, and oftentimes life-threatening, support.
Most, like this suspect, served alongside U.S. forces. Many we tried to save were women.
While we succeeded in saving a few hundred, Team Biden blocked us every step of the way, while allowing into the U.S. countless numbers of what I believe were less deserving and less vetted Afghans.
But as NBC News notes, even the best-vetted can turn:
The concern law enforcement officials have this morning is that even if some of these individuals received a deep vetting prior to arriving in the U.S., over time a very small group could become disillusioned with American culture and be susceptible to radicalization, two senior U.S. law enforcement officials say.
This is one of the biggest dangers with bringing in large numbers of people from Muslim majority countries with a history of Islamic fundamentalism. Sometimes, even second-generation Muslim immigrants become radicalized.
Meanwhile, undeterred, War Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged to send an additional 500 Guard troops to D.C. to reinforce the 2,400 already there.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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THIS IS THE EVVIL THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION along withe the DEMOCRATS HAVE BROUGHT AGAINST OUR CITIZENS!!!