Featured Image Credit: FBI
Topics: News, US News, Crime, Washington
Lucy Devine
Cops investigating the shooting in Washington DC are probing a new motive after reports that the suspect 'vanished' prior to the attack.
Earlier this week, on November 26, reports emerged that 'multiple people' had been shot in Washington, D.C., sparking the White House to go into lockdown.
It was then confirmed that those who were injured included two guardsmen who were left in critical condition as a result of the shocking incident.
Both US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and US Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were called to the nation’s capital in August as part of Trump’s crackdown on crime.
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After undergoing surgery, Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, remained in critical condition with their loved ones and local officials urging members of the public to keep them in their prayers.
Beckstrom sadly later succumbed to her injuries and passed away with her family by her side.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder as well as three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
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Days on from the incident and according to The Sun, investigators are now looking into a new motive after neighbors claim Lakanwal 'disappeared' in the weeks prior to the attack.
Mohammad Sherzard told the Associated Press that Lakanwal had vanished around two weeks prior to the shooting.
Meanwhile, another neighbor reiterated the same to CNN, explaining that he hadn't attended his local mosque for over a fortnight.
“I didn’t see him, he disappeared,” he said.
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“He was not coming … somebody said he’s sick, someone else said he went somewhere.”
Cops are said to be looking into Lakanwal's mental health at the time of the shooting.
Lakanwal served in the Afghan military, supporting US Special Forces, according to a relative who spoke to NBC News.
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“He was known for being responsible and professional within his team and had strong anti-Taliban views,” Lieutenant General Sami Sadat, Lakanwal's former commanding officer, told CBS News.
It's reported that Lakanwal 'suffered from PTSD' following his time in the military, which is something cops are allegedly looking into.
Following the attack, President Trump has spoken out following the shooting, saying in a statement on Truth Social: "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. God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement.
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"These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!"
UNILAD has reached out to Washington's DC's Metropolitan Police Department for comment.