Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was likely radicalized after he entered the United States.
Speaking on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Noem also faulted the Biden administration for allowing Lakanwal into the country and for handling his vetting process, even though his asylum application was approved earlier this year under the current Trump administration.
“The vetting process…happens when the person comes into the country,” Noem told host Kristen Welker on Sunday. She later added, “I will say we believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country. 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.”
Why It Matters
Authorities say Lakanwal drove from Washington state to Washington, D.C., where he allegedly shot National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sergeant Adam Wolfe, 24, on Wednesday. Other Guard members then shot and apprehended him. All three were taken to the hospital in critical condition; Beckstrom later died from her injuries, while Wolfe remains “fighting for his life,” according to officials.
Before coming to the United States, Lakanwal worked with the U.S. government and the CIA during American military operations in Afghanistan. The National Counterterrorism Center and CIA previously vetted him before he was allowed to cooperate with U.S. forces, according to Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin, who reported that Lakanwal was found to have no known ties to terrorist groups. His CIA identification would have placed him in the “vetted” category during evacuations from Afghanistan.
Then-President Joe Biden admitted more than 88,000 Afghans into the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, a program that provided a pathway into the country for vulnerable Afghan allies who had supported U.S. military and diplomatic efforts between 2001 and 2021.
Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021 but did not apply for asylum until late 2024. His application was approved in April of this year by the Trump administration.
Following the shooting and Beckstrom’s death, the White House responded by freezing all immigration requests for Afghan nationals and suspending visa processing for Afghan passport holders.
What To Know
On Sunday, Noem argued that the Biden administration is responsible for admitting Lakanwal, saying that any real vetting should have been completed when he entered the country through Operation Allies Welcome.
When Welker asked whether that meant the Trump administration did not conduct any vetting when it approved Lakanwal’s asylum application, Noem maintained that the key vetting took place earlier, under Biden.
“Joe Biden completely did not vet any of these individuals, did not vet this individual,” the DHS secretary said. “[He] waited until he got into the United States, and then that application for asylum was opened under the Joe Biden administration when he was the president in the White House and allowed that to go forward with the information that they provided. That’s the Biden administration’s responsibility. This is the consequences of the dangerous situation he put our country in when he allowed those people to infiltrate our country during that abandonment of Afghanistan.”
Noem also described what she views as essential elements of a thorough vetting process, noting the difficulties of carrying this out in Afghanistan at the time, given the instability and strained relationship between the U.S. and the Taliban, who took control as American forces withdrew.
“To do a good job of vetting people, you need to have cooperation of that government that is from their country,” Noem said. “You have to have a stable government that will give you information, contacts, background information, and biometrics that you may need to identify that individual, their dates of service. All of that vetting information was collected by Joe Biden’s administration, that was used in the process.”
She added that the Trump administration has broadened vetting requirements by incorporating social media content and additional biometric data into the assessment of individuals.
Noem reiterated that investigators now suspect Lakanwal was radicalized domestically in the relatively short time he has lived in the United States.
“We’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members, who talked to them…So far we’ve had some participation,” she said. “But anyone who has information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice.”
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: “Crooked Joe Biden, Mayorkas, and so-called ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris really screwed our Country by letting anyone and everyone come in totally unchecked and unvetted!”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X the same day: “Under President Trump, we are putting the American people, our safety and national security FIRST. We are putting an end to idiotic policies that allowed millions of illegal aliens and hundreds of thousands of foreigners into our country unvetted. We are pausing asylum decisions until further notice and DHS is overseeing a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from all 19 high-risk countries of concern.”
What Happens Next?
Authorities are still working to determine Lakanwal’s motive. The investigation is ongoing, and officials say additional details will be released as they become available.
