Taliban Extortion Possible Motive in DC Terror Attack on National Guard Members: Report [WATCH]

Investigators are examining whether Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House on November 26, was acting under pressure from the Taliban.

The shooting left one soldier dead and another critically injured. Lakanwal, 29, is charged with first-degree murder.

Sources familiar with the investigation told The Daily Beast that intelligence officials are looking into whether a Taliban hit squad threatened Lakanwal’s family in Afghanistan.

According to the report, officials are assessing claims that his relatives could have faced severe retaliation, including beatings, execution or beheading, if he did not carry out an attack in the United States.

The source emphasized that this is one area of focus among multiple investigative threads.

“It is by no means our only line of inquiry,” the intelligence official said, adding that U.S. personnel have worked extensively to protect Afghans targeted for assisting American forces.

“People in this country have no idea about the level of stress these people are under.”

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Lakanwal, a married father of five, has been publicly denounced by President Donald Trump and other political figures who described him as a “monster” and “terrorist.”

They have argued that the ambush in Washington should result in the defendant facing the federal death penalty.

Reports indicated that Lakanwal had been anxious about financial issues and concerned that an immigration crackdown could affect his Green Card application.

Officials have noted that despite these concerns, they are still evaluating how he could have carried out a cross-country trip with only a revolver while targeting trained National Guard soldiers.

Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era initiative to relocate Afghans who had worked with U.S. forces.

His visa later expired, and he applied for asylum in 2024.

Questions have circulated regarding whether Lakanwal faced possible removal proceedings, but a White House official told the Daily Mail that his status would not have led to deportation.

“This Afghan national was paroled into the US by the Biden Admin,” the official said.

“After that, Joe Biden signed into law that parole program, and entered into the 2023 Ahmed Court Settlement, which bound USCIS to adjudicate his asylum claim on an expedited bases. Regardless of asylum status, this monster would not have been removed due to his parole status, granted by Joe Biden.”

Further background on Lakanwal’s history in Afghanistan has been confirmed by U.S. officials.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that Lakanwal worked directly with the agency as a GPS-tracking specialist and had been embedded with U.S. Special Forces during operations in Afghanistan.

Lakanwal remains in custody as the investigation continues to collect evidence about the circumstances leading to the shooting.

Federal and local law enforcement agencies are coordinating inquiries into the attack, Lakanwal’s movements in the days beforehand and any potential communications that may support or disprove the possibility of outside coercion.