Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Nov 29: Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national arrested for the shooting of two National Guard troops in West Virginia, had reportedly vanished from his Bellingham, Washington home about two weeks prior to the attack, neighbours said.

Mohammad Sherzad, who lived near Lakanwal, described him as polite, quiet, and speaking very little English. Sherzad, who attended the same mosque, said Lakanwal struggled to find work and that his children went to the same school as his own. “He was so quiet and the kids were so polite, they were so playful. But we didn’t see anything bad about him. He was looking OK,” Sherzad told The Associated Press.

Lakanwal, 29, hails from Khost province in Afghanistan and moved to the US in 2021 with his wife and five children after working with the CIA. He had worked as an independent contractor for Amazon Flex but had not been active since August 2025.

A childhood friend revealed to The New York Times that Lakanwal suffered mental health issues due to his experiences in Afghanistan. “When he saw blood, bodies, and the wounded, he could not tolerate it. It put a lot of pressure on his mind,” the friend said.

Authorities said Lakanwal drove more than 4,400 kilometres across the US from Washington state to Washington, DC, before opening fire on National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe on Wednesday. Beckstrom died on Thursday, while Wolfe remains in critical condition.

Following Beckstrom’s death, charges against Lakanwal were upgraded to first-degree murder. He now faces one count of first-degree murder, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.