Associated Press, in an exclusive report, says newly obtained emails show that Abdul Rahman Lakanwal, the Afghan refugee accused of attacking two U.S. National Guard members, had long struggled with mental collapse, unemployment and prolonged isolation. Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under the“Welcome Allies” program with his wife and five young children and now faces a first-degree murder charge.

A community advocate who knew Lakanwal sent several emails last year to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, warning that his behavior had become increasingly unstable. The advocate feared Lakanwal might be nearing a suicidal crisis and urged the organization to provide immediate assistance.

According to the emails, Lakanwal's condition sharply worsened in March 2023 when he quit his job and underwent dramatic behavioral changes. He reportedly spent weeks sitting alone in a dark room and stopped speaking to anyone, including his family.

By late 2023, the family was close to eviction after months of unpaid rent. The emails also describe how Lakanwal's young sons often had to deliver messages to him because he refused to respond to anyone else.

During a week-long trip by his wife to visit relatives, the children were left unwashed, in the same clothes, and without adequate meals. Their school later flagged concerns about their deteriorating condition at home.

The messages further indicate that Lakanwal sometimes drove long distances without stopping. A Washington judge said he drove across the country in the same manner before reaching the capital and allegedly carrying out the attack.

The advocate who raised the alarm says there were no signs Lakanwal posed a danger to others, underscoring what experts now call a serious failure of refugee support systems to identify and respond to severe mental-health crises before they become catastrophic.

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