The Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday had worked with the CIA, the agency’s director said, according to Fox News Digital.
The comments come amid an investigation into the shooting near the White House, which officials described as a targeted ambush. The Guard members, who have not been identified, remain in critical condition.
Intelligence sources told Fox that the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, had ties with various entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, due to his work as a member of a partner force in Kandahar before the U.S. withdrawal.
CIA director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital: “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.”
He added that Lakanwal “and so many others—should have never been allowed to come here.”
Newsweek has contacted the CIA for comment outside of regular office hours.
The attack on uniformed troops in Washington D.C. has prompted political fallout and immigration policy reviews.
President Donald Trump called the attack a “heinous act of terror,” and announced a review of all Afghan nationals admitted under President Joe Biden’s administration. The comments by the CIA chief also blame the Biden administration for failures linked to the widely condemned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Two West Virginia National Guard members were critically wounded in a shooting near the White House at 2.15 p.m. Wednesday, after which the suspect was taken into custody.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021, according to reports. Law enforcement are investigating possible terrorism links.
Trump announced a review of all Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden administration, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has temporarily halted all Afghan-related immigration applications pending further review.
Ratcliffe told Fox Digital that the suspect and many others should not have been allowed to enter the U.S., adding that Americans “deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital: “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.”
President Trump said on Wednesday: “I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote on X: “Today’s attack on two members of the West Virginia National Guard was horrific and unconscionable. We can confirm that a suspect is in custody for this targeted shooting and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.”
The FBI is taking the lead in the investigation into the attack, which is being treated as a possible act of international terrorism, Fox News reported.