Khaberni - CNN reported that the authorities interviewed the wife of the Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakkanwal, who fired at National Guard members near the White House, as well as his five children and others.
The network quoted sources stating that the family members of the suspect confirmed he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, abbreviated as "PTSD," which they said stemmed from his combat experiences in Afghanistan.
Rahmanullah Lakkanwal fought in the "Zero Unit" of the Afghan special forces, which was sponsored and trained by the CIA.
The suspect was among more than 190,000 Afghans allowed entry into the United States following its withdrawal from Afghanistan, under programs designed to resettle those who had assisted the United States during its 20-year-long war in the country.
Over more than a decade, CNN sources reported that Lakkanwal underwent several rounds of vetting - starting around 2011 by the CIA when he began working with the U.S. military and intelligence agencies - and concluding earlier this year when the Trump administration approved his permanent asylum in the United States.
In 2021, Lakkanwal was part of a priority group that was evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban takeover of the Afghan capital. Given his work for the United States, including his service in the elite Afghan counterterrorism unit, Lakkanwal was considered at risk of retaliation once the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
After his evacuation, Lakkanwal underwent what CNN sources described as multiple levels of scrutiny by several U.S. government agencies - first in a Middle Eastern country, then regularly over the past few years while residing in the United States. In April, Lakkanwal, who was residing in Washington state, was granted permanent asylum by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security.
