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Alleged Facebook page of National Guard shooting suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal goes viral, shows Afghan flag as profile photo

Rahmanullah Lakanwal's alleged Facebook page is going viral in the wake of his mysterious shooting of National Guards in D.C.
posted by Akanksha Mishra
Thursday 11/27/2025 at 3:10AM EST
  • WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 2: Members of the National Guard are seen standing near the Washington Monument, on September 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the National Guard and Federal Law Enforcement continue to patrol the Nation's Capital, weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard and law enforcement to patrol the nation's capital to assist in crime prevention with more than 2,200 National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington, D.C., a mission that experts estimate is costing over $1 million a day when factoring in pay, housing, travel, food, fuel and other logistics, according to comparisons with the 2020 mobilization of 5,000 Guard members that cost more than $2 million daily. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
    WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 2: Members of the National Guard are seen standing near the Washington Monument, on September 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of the National Guard and Federal Law Enforcement continue to patrol the Nation's Capital, weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard and law enforcement to patrol the nation's capital to assist in crime prevention with more than 2,200 National Guard troops have been deployed in Washington, D.C., a mission that experts estimate is costing over $1 million a day when factoring in pay, housing, travel, food, fuel and other logistics, according to comparisons with the 2020 mobilization of 5,000 Guard members that cost more than $2 million daily. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

    On Wednesday afternoon (November 26), an Afghan national shot at National Guards members at Washington, D.C.'s Farragut Square. He was subdued and taken into custody shortly after that, and was recognized as Rahmanullah Lakanwal. 

    In the wake of Rahmanullah Lakanwal's open-fire stunt in the D.C., screenshots of his alleged Facebook page are going viral on social media platforms. Per the Facebook profile, Lakanwal lives in Bellingham, Washington. His profile picture appears to be a photo of the Afghan flag wrapped around some sort of insect. 

    Media outlets report that Lakanwal himself was also injured during the shooting, but his injuries were non-life-threatening. Per official records, Rahmanullah is a 29-year-old immigrant who entered the US four years ago, in 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome, initiated by the Joe Biden administration. 

    The programme brought in roughly 76,000 people into the US, many of whom were even employed with the US troops to serve as translators and diplomats. 

    ​Trump threatened Rahmanullah Lakanlal to pay "a very steep price"

    President Trump was seemingly outraged at the attack on National Guards in D.C., and threatened Lakanlal in a Truth Social post, writing:

    "The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price."

    Trump also praised the National Guard alongside the US military and law enforcement, continuing: 

    "God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!"

    Trump's threat wasn't empty. Soon after his post, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on social media:

    "Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols."

    In addition to that, the President also ordered Pete Hegseth - US Secretary of Defence - to deploy an additional 500 members of the National Guard to the capital city.​

    The authorities investigating into Lakanlal were able to trace down his landlord in D.C. - a woman named Kristina Widman. Widman told them that the suspect arrived in D.C. with his wife and five children. 

    Rahmanullah applied for asylum in December last year, which was approved in April 2025. Since he has no recorded criminal history, the motive behind his shooting remains a mystery to the officials. 

    TOPICS: Rahmanullah Lakanwal , National Guard