Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two US National Guard members in Washington D.C., had been struggling with his mental health for over a year before the attack. According to emails obtained by CBS News, Lakanwal's family had been seeking help for him due to his struggles with PTSD and depression.
In one email dated January 11, 2024, sent by a case worker from the nonprofit group U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Lakanwal is described as "not functional as a person, father, and provider since March of last year." The emails also reveal that Lakanwal would often isolate himself in his darkened bedroom for weeks on end, not speaking to anyone, including his wife and older children.
The case worker believes that Lakanwal's struggles may be linked to his experiences during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he led a unit of Afghan special forces. A former Afghan commando has also spoken out about Lakanwal's trauma, stating that he was deeply troubled by the death of a close friend and fellow commander.
Despite undergoing extensive vetting as part of the asylum process, including background checks and in-person interviews, Lakanwal's mental health issues were not fully addressed. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has since claimed that Lakanwal was "radicalized" since arriving in the US, but experts argue that this does not reflect the experiences of the wider Afghan community.
Lakanwal faces murder charges for his role in the attack on Thursday, which left one victim dead and another hospitalized. The investigation is ongoing, with officials working to interview Lakanwal despite his sedation and ventilator treatment.
As authorities seek to understand the motivations behind the attack, they are also examining Lakanwal's online footprint and communications for signs of international coordination or ideological radicalization. However, an early review of his social media and messaging channels has not revealed any links to foreign handlers or extremist groups.
In one email dated January 11, 2024, sent by a case worker from the nonprofit group U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Lakanwal is described as "not functional as a person, father, and provider since March of last year." The emails also reveal that Lakanwal would often isolate himself in his darkened bedroom for weeks on end, not speaking to anyone, including his wife and older children.
The case worker believes that Lakanwal's struggles may be linked to his experiences during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he led a unit of Afghan special forces. A former Afghan commando has also spoken out about Lakanwal's trauma, stating that he was deeply troubled by the death of a close friend and fellow commander.
Despite undergoing extensive vetting as part of the asylum process, including background checks and in-person interviews, Lakanwal's mental health issues were not fully addressed. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has since claimed that Lakanwal was "radicalized" since arriving in the US, but experts argue that this does not reflect the experiences of the wider Afghan community.
Lakanwal faces murder charges for his role in the attack on Thursday, which left one victim dead and another hospitalized. The investigation is ongoing, with officials working to interview Lakanwal despite his sedation and ventilator treatment.
As authorities seek to understand the motivations behind the attack, they are also examining Lakanwal's online footprint and communications for signs of international coordination or ideological radicalization. However, an early review of his social media and messaging channels has not revealed any links to foreign handlers or extremist groups.
the fact that he was struggling with PTSD and depression but nobody seemed to care enough to help him properly is just heartbreaking 
it's like he was living in a bubble, isolated from his own family and unable to get the support he needed. and now look what's happened...two innocent lives lost 
and people are already jumping to conclusions about radicalization? 
come on, can't we try to understand the complexities of someone's mental health before just blaming it all on their 'radicalized' state? 
my heart goes out to his family and loved ones who must be going through an unimaginable nightmare 
This whole thing is really confusing... so he's been struggling with PTSD and depression for over a year, but you'd think that would be enough for him to get some help? I mean, his family was like "he's not functional" which sounds pretty serious. And now we're supposed to believe that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan had nothing to do with it? I'm just trying to piece together what happened here... did he have any triggers or was there something specific that snapped him? 
The fact that his vetting process didn't catch this sooner is pretty shocking. Did they not see any red flags at all? 
... how can we expect someone to cope when they're feeling isolated and alone? 
... hope Lakanwal gets the help he needs in there and doesn't lose his mind completely 
. We need to get to the bottom of what really went on here and make sure everyone is held accountable.
. We need to be more understanding and compassionate about the trauma they've experienced and provide them with the support they need before something like this happens again 
. it's not like he was a bad person or anything, just someone who needed some help. and now look at what happened.
And the fact that he was supposed to get help for his PTSD and depression, but no one did... 
And now this guy's getting all the attention? 
It's just not right.
That can't be easy to deal with. He should've gotten some kind of support, you know? 
Not just sent to the US and expected to start over. It's like they forgot about all the refugees who came here thinking they'd find a new life... 