D.C. Shooting: What We Know So Far
Trump announces migration freeze and review of “countries of concern” as investigation into D.C. suspect deepens; new details emerge about D.C. shooting suspect; Guardsman Beckstrom, 20, dies.
Updated 11/29/2025, 9:24 pm.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump announced Thursday on Truth Social that he intends to “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.” The posts came in response to Wednesday’s shooting in Washington, D.C., in which two National Guardsmen were ambushed. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is a former CIA asset.
Trump said his administration is exploring options to deport the suspect’s family while the U.S. reviews green card applicants and recipients from what it calls “19 countries of concern.” No evidence has emerged connecting the suspect’s relatives to the attack, and critics have characterized the targeting of his family as retaliatory.
Trump has also requested the deployment of additional National Guard members to the District of Columbia, despite standing court orders and an ongoing legal battle over the issue.
The President’s two-part, xenophobic, social media tirade below.
New details have emerged about Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, the suspect apprehended following Wednesday’s ambush in Washington, D.C. He entered the United States in 2021 through the resettlement program Operation Allies Welcome. Program representatives said Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his application was approved under the Trump administration.
Taliban ambassador to Qatar Suhail Shaheen told CNN that Lakanwal had been part of CIA-controlled security forces. Officials from the CIA, as well as FBI director Kash Patel have both corroborated this information.
“Such people were not faithful to their country,” Shaheen said in a statement to CNN. “There should be a vast investigation into this incident to find out the true face of him and other like-minded people.”
A resident of Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said Lakanwal served in the “Zero Units” — paramilitary units staffed by Afghans and backed by the CIA. According to the resident, Lakanwal began working as a security guard for the unit in 2012 and was later promoted to team leader and GPS specialist. These units operated on the front lines alongside CIA paramilitary officers.
At the time he was recruited to the Zeroes by the CIA, Lakanwal was only 14 years old. The CIA took him as a child and groomed him into a fighter for American interests in the region.
Human rights activists have attributed multiple wartime abuses — including rapes, massacres, and other extrajudicial killings of civilians — to the Zero Units. These units operated under a classified CIA program that limited oversight and, according to critics, created conditions that allowed operations resulting in civilian casualties.
A friend of Lakanwal’s, identified only as “Muhammad,” told reporters that Lakanwal suffered from mental-health issues and was deeply troubled by civilian casualties attributed to the CIA-backed Zero Unit in Afghanistan. Muhammad described him as having symptoms of depression and PTSD, including self-medication and drug abuse. Both men were targeted by the Taliban as collaborators with U.S. forces and feared for their lives after Kabul fell in 2021.
Muhammad expressed disbelief that Lakanwal would carry out such an attack. He said the last time they spoke, Lakanwal was working for Amazon, delivering packages. Muhammad requested anonymity out of fear of Taliban reprisals.
Lakanwal drove from Bellingham, WA, to D.C. to carry out his alleged attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who was shot while serving with the National Guard in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2025, died of her injuries on Thursday. Andrew Wolfe, the second victim in Wednesday’s shooting, remains in critical condition. His father has asked the public to pray for his 24-year-old son.
Both Beckstrom and Wolfe were re-deputized the day before the shooting to maintain their law enforcement authority for security patrols. Deputized status is granted to Guard members only in specific circumstances and must be renewed annually.
Per CNN, a friend of Sarah Beckstrom said the slain guardswoman complained about being unable to assist ICE directly.
“I get why we’re here, crime’s bad,” said the Guardsman who is said to have known Beckstrom, “But it’s pointless if we can’t do anything.”
Asked whether he plans to attend Beckstrom’s funeral, President Donald Trump said: “I haven’t thought about it yet, but it certainly is something I could conceive of.”