U.S. Officials Believe Afghan Suspect in Washington Attack Was Radicalised After Arrival

Reuters

Pictures of National Guard members Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom, who were shot on November 26 in Washington, are displayed next to a picture of the suspect of the shooting, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

U.S. authorities believe the Afghan immigrant accused of ambushing National Guard members in Washington, D.C., became radicalised only after arriving in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press and ABC’s This Week, Noem stated that authorities think the alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was living in Washington state at the time of his radicalisation. Investigators are gathering further information from his family and other individuals connected to him, she added.

Authorities have identified Lakanwal, 29, as the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting, which occurred just a few blocks from the White House, killing one National Guard member and critically injuring another. Following the attack, President Donald Trump’s administration criticised what it described as inadequate vetting of Afghans and other foreign nationals during the tenure of former President Joe Biden, although Lakanwal had, in fact, been granted asylum under Trump.

Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in 2021 as part of the Biden administration’s evacuation of Afghans who had assisted U.S. forces during the two-decade conflict in Afghanistan, after the Taliban takeover. According to a government file reviewed by Reuters, he was granted asylum in April by the Trump administration.

Noem’s remarks indicate that Lakanwal—who previously served in a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan—may have adopted extremist views only after resettling in the U.S.

“We believe he was radicalised since being in this country,” Noem told NBC. “We believe it occurred through connections within his local community and state. We will continue speaking to those who interacted with him, including his family members.”

She added that officials had received “some cooperation” from individuals who knew Lakanwal, and warned that the U.S. would pursue anyone with information linked to the attack.

“Anyone who has information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice,” she said.

In response to Wednesday’s attack, the Trump administration introduced new measures targeting legal immigration, including a freeze on all asylum application processing.

Noem said on Sunday that immigration officials would also review ongoing asylum cases for potential deportation.

“We are going to go through every single person with a pending asylum claim,” she said.

Source: Reuters



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