As investigators continue to delve into what may have motivated the suspect in last week’s deadly National Guard shooting, a portrait of a life of increasing financial stress and a potential mental health crisis has emerged, sources familiar told ABC News.
Additionally, multiple sources said investigators are looking into the impact of the recent death of an Afghan commander, who allegedly worked with the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
The death of the commander, whom Lakanwal was said to have revered, deeply saddened the suspect, sources said.
This may have compounded Lakanwal’s financial burdens, including not being employed, having an expired work permit and allegedly having difficulty paying rent and feeding his children, sources said.
Authorities said the suspect has a wife and five children. He drove from his residence in Washington state to the nation’s capital before the shooting and targeted guards, authorities said.
A top law enforcement source told ABC News on Sunday that investigators are looking at everything and closely examining the role of an apparently deteriorating situation at home.
Brigadier General Leland D. Blanchard II looks at photos of two National Guard members who were shot along with a photo of a suspect, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, at a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel, attorney Jeanine Pirro and other officials in Washington, DC, Nov. 27, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence officials are also investigating the possibility that the attack was directed or inspired by international terrorists. But so far, authorities have not released any specific evidence linking Lakanwal to a terrorist organization, and no terrorism charges have been filed.
The investigation into the deadly shooting is still in its early stages.
Two National Guard members were shot and seriously injured just blocks from the White House in Washington, DC, on November 26, and one guard died as a result of injuries sustained the following day.
President Donald Trump called the shooting “an act of evil, an act of hate and an act of terror,” adding, “It was a crime against our entire nation.”
Trump, citing information from the Department of Homeland Security, said the suspect entered the United States from Afghanistan in September 2021 and criticized the previous administration of President Joe Biden.
The suspect previously worked with the US government, including the CIA, as a member of an associated force in Kandahar, “which ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” according to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April, under the Trump administration, according to sources.
In Afghanistan, the suspect was involved with Unit Zero, working closely with the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The suspect was a trusted member of that team, which was pursuing American counterterrorism targets, according to the sources.
Over the weekend, the FBI continued to interview family members and associates of the suspect and attempted to exploit documents and other material obtained through searches of mobile devices, his social media footprint and properties linked to him.
Lakanwal remains hospitalized under heavy guard, sources told ABC News on Sunday.
