A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Federal authorities have identified the man who shot two members of the National Guard at point-blank range Wednesday in downtown Washington, D.C. Both National Guard members are from West Virginia. They remain in critical condition. The assailant was injured and is in custody. NPR's Jackie Northam has been following all the developments. Jackie, the Justice Department and the FBI just held a press conference. What do they have to say about the man who shot the two National Guard troops?
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Well, U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro says that his name is Rahmanullah Lakanwal. And he's a 29-year-old Afghan national. And she said he came to the U.S. in 2021 as part of a resettlement program set up by the Biden administration. And Pirro said Lakanwal was living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, and that he drove across the country to carry out what she called a brazen and unprovoked attack on the two guards. And Pirro detailed what happened during the attack after the first guardsman was shot. Here she is.
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JEANINE PIRRO: And then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again. Another guardsman is struck several times. Fellow guardsmen who were there responded immediately, engaging the suspect, neutralizing the threat and subduing him at the scene. He was transported to a local hospital, where he remains, as we speak, under heavy guard.
NORTHAM: Now, Pirro said that Lakanwal currently faces three charges, including terrorism, possession of a firearm, assault to kill. But she said that both guard troops were in critical condition and warned that Lakanwal could face the death penalty, depending on what happens. Pirro also identified both guard members who were shot, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, both of whom, she said, were just sworn in.
MARTÍNEZ: Tell us about that program you mentioned, that resettlement program implemented by the Biden administration.
NORTHAM: Yeah, this was a program called Operation Allies Welcome, which allowed many Afghans into the country after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021. You know, these were people that helped the U.S., with things like intelligence and translation, and were in grave danger once the Taliban took control of Afghanistan again. Now, FBI Director Kash Patel said that Lakanwal worked for various U.S. government agencies in Afghanistan, and that includes the CIA in Kandahar in the southern part of the country, which was the Taliban's traditional seat of power. Patel said that the investigation into the shootings was widespread and that it would include investigating any known associates of Lakanwal back in Afghanistan.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, Pirro and Patel both heavily criticized that program during this press conference. Any indication if it's going to continue?
NORTHAM: Well, the Trump administration is suspending it for the moment. And President Trump on Wednesday criticized the program, saying that the U.S. must now examine every single alien who entered the U.S. since it was implemented. And the Department of Homeland Security is going to review Lakanwal's immigration history and vetting process that allowed him into the country in the first place. So it's a little uncertain what is going to happen to the program. But there are thousands of Afghans who did come into the country, again, just to escape any sort of repercussions from the Taliban when they took power again back in Afghanistan.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Jackie Northam. Jackie, thanks.
NORTHAM: Thanks very much, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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