Right wing commentator Nick Fuentes is pushing his own angle on the brutal Washington DC shooting that left two National Guard members dead.Fuentes claimed that the suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal was not some hidden “Taliban fanatic” but a longtime collaborator of the United States military. The claim fanned the flames on an already tense situation as investigators are treating the case as a possible act of terrorism.
US Mercenaries?
Fuentes said on his stream, “These are not afghans that were with the Taliban, these are afghans that were working with the United States Military.” He alleged that many Afghans brought to the US during the 2021 withdrawal were not ordinary refugees but people who had worked directly with American forces as recruits. According to Fuentes, these individuals were evacuated because their cooperation with the US made them targets once the Taliban regained control. Fuentes insisted they did not arrive as refugees but as US military “mercenaries.”
Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal identified as suspect
Nick’s comments came as more details surfaced about the shooting. The gunman was identified as 29 year old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 and later overstayed his visa. Authorities said Lakanwal was lying in wait near Farragut West Metro Station before opening fire on two Guardsmen who were patrolling the streets. One female guard was hit in the chest and then the head. A second guard was also struck before a third soldier rushed in and stopped the attacker. Lakanwal was shot four times and taken away nearly naked in an ambulance according to the videos from the scene. Family members told NBC News that Lakanwal had served in the Afghan Army in Kandahar and had worked closely with US Special Forces, even being injured in battle before coming to America. Police have not announced a motive and the FBI is treating the case as a potential act of terrorism as the investigation continues.Lakanwal lived in Bellingham, Washington, one of the regions that received Afghan evacuees under Operation Allies Welcome. His Special Immigrant Visa expired in September according to federal sources cited by the New York Post.