Military Shooting Suspect Was Isolated for Weeks Isolated in Room, Social Worker's Email Indicated.

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The individual accused of shooting two military personnel in the nation's capital last week had according to accounts spent weeks at a time alone in a dark room and experienced "manic episodes," according to comments documented in 2024 by a support worker that helped the individual's family.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal is accused of perpetrating an "surprise attack" that took the life of Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Andrew Wolf, 24.

Authorities stated the man in his late twenties came to the US in 2021 as part of a initiative for individuals from Afghanistan who had worked with US forces in Afghanistan.

Revealed Information on Psychological State

According to electronic correspondence from last year, Mr. Lakanwal faced challenges with his psychological well-being.

In a different email sent on 31 January 2024, the worker said Mr. Lakanwal "spends most of his time for weeks on end in his darkened room, refusing to talk to anyone, including his wife and older kids."

The case worker, who was not a clinician, also said Mr. Lakanwal had "manic episodes for a week or two at a time where he would drive away in the family car." They also mentioned he had periods in which he would try to "make amends."

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Background and Recent Events

Mr. Lakanwal, an Afghan national, came to the US as part of the recent resettlement program. This was in the wake after the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He applied for asylum in 2024, and his request was approved earlier this year.

He lived with his family in a city in Washington state.

"Aid group volunteers are trying to patch things for that family - but I think the father has psychological problems that are not addressed, and he refuses to speak with anybody," one part of an earlier communication states.

Last week, a childhood friend told a newspaper that Mr. Lakanwal had experienced psychological challenges after his work with his unit in Afghanistan.

Mr. Lakanwal had allegedly been a member of a "Zero Unit" - an local intelligence and paramilitary force that collaborated with a American spy agency.

Official Response and Charges

In the days after the attack in Washington DC, the administration pledged to "halt immigration" from certain countries.

The government has paused all asylum decisions "until we can ensure that every individual is vetted and screened to the fullest extent," a director said.

Mr. Lakanwal, who was injured in the event and remains in hospital, faces murder charges.