Fact Check: Afghan national suspect in Washington shooting has no links to Pakistan

Several India and Afghanistan-based propaganda social media accounts shared a post linking the suspect who shot two National Guard members in Washington D.C. to Pakistan.

The suspect has been identified as Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who arrived in the United States in 2021 after the US withdrawal and takeover by Taliban forces. The incident has led to US President Donald Trump announcing the suspension of immigration for Afghan nationals and the vetting of all migrants approved during the Biden administration.

However, several social media users attempted to deflect attention by shifting the blame to Pakistan by claiming the attacker was trained in Pakistan. An X user, who regularly posts against Pakistan, said, “It appears that last night’s attacker in the United States may have been trained by Pakistan’s ISI, as the soldier reportedly traveled to America through Islamabad.”

Another X user said, “ISI links emerge in the terror attack near the White House. Attacker Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan who once worked with the US Army, was reportedly trained by the Pakistan Army, even contacted by ISI officials last month.”

These baseless claims were spread by India based social media accounts to spread disinformation against Pakistan.

FACT CHECK

Fact Check Pakistan has determined the claims to be fake and completely baseless. There are no reports that the suspect had any linked to the Pakistan Army, its intelligence agencies, or any official.

According to Associated Press, the suspect charged with the shooting worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan.

It reported quoting Lakanwal’s cousin said the suspect was originally from Khost province and that he and his brother worked in a special Afghan Army unit known as Zero Units in Kandahar. Lakanwal started working as a security guard for the unit in 2012, and was later promoted to become a team leader and a GPS specialist.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that Lakanwal’s relationship with the US government “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” of US service members from Afghanistan.

Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country. He applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration.

Conclusion

It has been concluded that the suspect had no links to Pakistan. Most Afghan migrants travelled to the US and other countries through the Islamabad airport in the months after the Taliban takeover.

Therefore, the claims that the suspect behind the shooting in Washington DC had links to the Pakistan Army or its intelligence agencies are FALSE.

References:

Trump says one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by Afghan national has died. Associated Press.