]The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Reuters reported on Sunday that U.S. authorities believe the Afghan immigrant accused of ambushing National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was not radicalized until after he arrived in the United States, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Speaking on NBC's “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week,”
Noem said investigators think the alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, became
radicalized while living in Washington state. Authorities are seeking
additional information from his family and others who knew him, she added.
Lakanwal, 29, was identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s
shooting just blocks from the White House, an attack that killed one National
Guard member and critically wounded another. After the incident, President
Donald Trump’s administration criticized what it described as inadequate
vetting of Afghans and other foreign nationals during former President Joe
Biden’s tenure — even though Lakanwal received asylum under Trump.
Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in 2021 as part of the Biden
administration’s large-scale evacuation of Afghans who assisted U.S. forces
during the 20-year war in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. A government
file reviewed by Reuters shows he was granted asylum in April by the Trump
administration.
Noem’s comments indicate that Lakanwal — who previously
served in a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan — may have embraced extremist
beliefs after his relocation to the United States.
“We believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this
country,” Noem told NBC News. “We do believe it was through connections in his
home community and state, and we're going to continue to talk to those who
interacted with him, who were his family members.”
She said U.S. officials have received “some participation”
from individuals who knew Lakanwal, warning that authorities will pursue anyone
linked to the attack.
“Anyone who has the information on this needs to know that
we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice,” Noem said.
Following Wednesday’s shooting, the Trump administration
tightened some legal immigration procedures, including freezing all asylum
application processing.
Noem added that immigration authorities may consider
deporting people with active asylum cases if necessary.
“We are going to go through every single person that has a
pending asylum claim,” she said.
