The neighborhood member who raised considerations about him mentioned they had been shocked to see his identify within the information. They remembered him as a father who performed together with his younger sons and mentioned they by no means imagined he would hurt another person.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man accused of capturing two Nationwide Guard members close to the White Home final week, had been struggling for a very long time. Individuals who knew him say he couldn’t preserve a job, typically stayed alone in a darkish room for days, after which all of the sudden left on lengthy street journeys throughout the nation. A neighborhood advocate who labored with Afghan households even reached out to a refugee organisation earlier this yr as a result of they feared he would possibly hurt himself.
Emails reviewed by the Related Press present months of warnings about his behaviour and emotional well being. These messages give a clearer image of how tough his life had grow to be in america.
Shock after the assault
The capturing came about on Wednesday, simply earlier than Thanksgiving. West Virginia Nationwide Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and Employees Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured. Lakanwal, 29, has been arrested and charged with first-degree homicide.
The neighborhood member who raised considerations about him mentioned they had been shocked to see his identify within the information. They remembered him as a father who performed together with his younger sons and mentioned they by no means imagined he would hurt another person.
Earlier than coming to the US Lakanwal served in a particular Afghan Military “Zero Unit,” which labored carefully with US forces. He arrived in America in 2021 below Operation Allies Welcome after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan.
He moved to Bellingham, Washington, together with his spouse and 5 younger sons. However emails despatched to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) present he was not adjusting properly.
A January 2024 electronic mail mentioned he had stopped working in March 2023 and had struggled ever since. It described lengthy durations when he stayed alone in a darkish room, speaking to nobody not even his spouse or older kids. The household even confronted eviction as a result of lease went unpaid for months.
Typically he confirmed enchancment, attempting to reconnect with state companies and fulfill necessities tied to his resettlement. However the emails describe sudden “manic” durations when he would drive throughout the nation with out stopping, together with journeys to Chicago and Arizona.
Considerations for his household
Emails additionally raised considerations concerning the wellbeing of the youngsters. When his spouse left city for every week to go to household, the youngsters had been reportedly not bathed, their garments weren’t modified, they usually weren’t consuming properly. Their faculty additionally observed issues.
At instances, his youthful kids needed to ship messages to him as a result of he wouldn’t reply to adults within the residence. After receiving the warning emails, USCRI employees visited Bellingham in March 2024 to examine on him and his household. The neighborhood advocate mentioned they by no means heard again and believed Lakanwal had refused assist.
