The National Guard Shooting
By: Nitzaliah Festinger
This past week, a former member of the U.S. counterterrorism unit shot two members of the National Guard. While people speculated that this attack was targeted against the U.S. government, further research revealed this was untrue.
On November 26th, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal shot members of the national guard, Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe. Lakanwal came to the United States in 2021 through the Operation Allies Welcome program, which facilitated the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans who had worked with the U.S. government and military during the war in Afghanistan.
Originally, people assumed this shooting was a terrorist attack meant to threaten the U.S. Specifically, President Trump referred to Lakanwal as a “savage monster” and referred to the shooting as an “act of terror.” Additionally, both FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro have described the incident as a “heinous act of terrorism.”
While these statements and Lakanwal’s Afghan background may make it seem as though his actions were a terrorist attack, that may not be the case. Investigators have been researching Lakanwal and have been led to believe this attack was due to mental issues. Emails have surfaced with proof that Lakanwal has been struggling with his mental health for years now. Apparently, he had been known to isolate himself for weeks at a time. People in his life were so alarmed by his behavior that people began reaching out to offer him suicide prevention help, but no one expected him to become violent.
Lakanwall’s mental health leading up to the event seemed to be getting increasingly worse. He was no longer able to function in society. He stopped paying rent and going to work. He didn’t even speak to his family at times. So while his offense could have been fueled by religious ideas or patriotism, it also could’ve been caused by the very dark state he was in. I think this story could be a useful reminder that we never know what someone is going through and how it affects them. Be kind to others and yourself, and stay safe!
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/01/national-guard-shooting-suspect-mental-health
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rahmanullah-lakanwal-mental-health-case-worker-emails/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-dc-shooting-national-guard-members-charged-murder-pleads-not-g-rcna247014
https://www.google.com/search?q=when+did+rahmanullah+lakanwall+come+to+the+us&rlz=1CATAVM_enUS1176&oq=when+did+rahmanullah+lakanwall+come+to+the+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgBECEYoAEyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRirAjIHCAYQIRirAjIHCAcQIRirAjIHCAgQIRiPAjIHCAkQIRiPAtIBCTE1NDY3ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/us/dc-national-guard-shooting-victims-suspect-hnk#:~:text=FBI%20Director%20Kash%20Patel%20said,news%20conference%20following%20the%20attack.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-national-guard-soldier-has-died-after-shooting-blames-biden-administration
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/01/national-guard-shooting-suspect-mental-health