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Gunman worked with CIA in Afghanistan
The shooter, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States under the Biden administration in 2021, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under "Operation Allies Welcome," which allowed him to live and work in the U.S. for two years while he applied for permanent status.
Authorities told Fox News Thursday that Lakanwal also worked with the CIA and other U.S. government entities while serving as a member of an unidentified “partner force” in Kandahar prior to the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
"In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation," CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
While initial reports said Lakanwal, who lived in Washington state with his wife and children, had overstayed his visa, documents obtained by Reuters show he applied for asylum in December 2024 and was granted asylum on April 23, 2025.
