Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the latest details around the suspected shooter of two National Guards in DC

More details are emerging around the background of the Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC. 

Both soldiers remain critically injured after yesterday's shooting, while the suspect's in custody. 

The FBI says the shooter had worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and had immigrated to the US in 2021. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking the suspect was reportedly troubled by his work with a CIA paramilitary force in Afghanistan. 

Arnold says the group was also accused of civilian killings. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Arnold, Happy Thanksgiving.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Ah, thank you, Mike. Yes, on this festival.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Day exactly before we get to that, where are we
I mean I watched the press conference with the talent car.
I mean where are we at with the shooting?

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, Well, a modern day reality is casting a bit
of a shadow on the celebration day as investigators are
looking into the background of a twenty nine year old
man who opened fire on two National Guards members just
a couple of blocks in the White House. Those Guards,
twenty year old Sarah bextraman twenty four year old Andrew Wolf,
were shot in the head, still in critical condition, fighting
for their lives. The shooter was a twenty nine year
old who worked with a CIA backed unit in Afghanistan

(00:35):
during the war. He was shot during this attack, but
he is expected to survive. We now find that he
drove cross country from Seattle, where he's been living, with
a plan to commit this attack. Apparently he was armed
with a three fifty seven revolver and after shooting one
Guard member, he opened fire again as that soldier fell
to the ground. So this was just grussen as has

(00:55):
a witness, a man named Patrick, who says he heard
eight or nine shots.

Speaker 3 (00:59):
It was just shock the one that was closest to
me who was you know. I mean, I don't want
to make too many assumptions, but he was leading from
the head and the MPD officer was applying pressure to
his head. He was conscious, he was moving his arms around.
They were talking to him. I don't know if he's
responding back necessarily.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Well, hopefully these victims will pull through. As for the shooter,
he had worked with the CIA in kender Heart in
what were called zero Units, which was a paramilitary force
plane trained for nighttime raids on teleivan targets, and who
also were accused by human rights groups of widespread killings
of civilians. He was one who around seventy six thousand

(01:38):
Afghans brought to this country and the chaos who surrounded
the American withdrawal of the shooter now is described by
someone who knows him as being disturbed by the operations
of that CIA unit and who have suffered from mental
health issues. We'll see what more emerges on this. President
Trump is saying, I.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this
atrocity pays the steeper passable price.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, in a video statement, Trump is blaming Biden, while
new information shows it was the Trump administration that approved
the shooters a sylum application just earlier this year. Trump
also railed against refugees in that speech, refugees as a whole,
and he spoke out against Somalians resettled in Minnesota. Hundreds
of thousands of Somalians are ripping off our country and

(02:25):
ripping apart that once great state. You know, the suspected
shooter is from Afghanistan. He had nothing to do with Somalia.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Was he eating the Swans as well?

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Now?

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Celebration, I mean it's Thanksgiving time for some football and
some cake and some beer.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
You were talking traffic. I'm traveling only a short way
today to have Thanksgiving with some friends, which on the
travel front is pretty good because this could be the
busiest travel day in this country's history. That's what they're saying.
Nearly eighty two million people beyond the movers, the expectation.
I don't know how they do that count, but that's
what they're saying. Six million flying, seventy three million or
so on the road. The Turkey Day, of course, features

(03:01):
what you say, the big meal Turkey and cranberries and
pecan pie and so on. I don't eat turkey, he said,
seafood and side dishes and so on, and many others
are veering away from the traditional as well. Another friend
told me yesterday they're having pizza. I don't think the
Pilgrims did that. However, there are football games rostered, and
the biggest of the parades is playing out in New
York City, which is hosting the ninety ninth version of

(03:23):
their Macy's Parade, which began with Since the Arivo from
Wicked Salud, It's a new day, It's a new form fee.
They're also featuring Broadway performers, like this Cuban themed cast
from the Buena Vista Social Club. So Mike, ready to remember.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
Good on you, mate, You have a good one. We'll
catch up next week. Appreciate it very much. Richard Arnold
State Side Lions, Packers, Cowboys Chiefs. Imagine that the Chiefs
lose again, Ay season over. I reckon and the Cowboys
are on a roll. Raven Spangles. I'm not ably interested
in that one, but we'll see how we go.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
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