Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man suspected of fatally shooting a member of the National Guard and seriously injuring another in Washington DC, became radicalized while in the United States.
Speaking on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” he explained, “We believe it was through connections in his home community and his state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him.”
Noem said Sunday that the administration believes the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been “radicalized since he has been here in this country.”
“We believe it was through connections in his home community and his state, and we will continue to talk to those who interacted with him,” he said.
He said that the Afghan had been falling apart for years, unable to hold down a job and alternating between long periods of isolation without electricity and sudden trips of several weeks throughout the country.
“Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s behavior became so bad that a community advocate contacted a refugee organization for help, fearing that he was beginning to commit suicide,” he described.
Lakanwal will be charged with first-degree murder, Washington DC federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro said last week.
In Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked in a special unit of the Afghan Army known as Unit Zero. These units had the support of the CIA. It entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the American withdrawal. Many had worked alongside American troops and diplomats.
Therefore, when asked about the vetting process to approve their asylum request during the Trump administration, Noem argued that “the vetting takes place when they enter the country, and that was completely abandoned under the Joe Biden administration.”
The Homeland Security secretary also said the Trump administration would resume the asylum process after dealing with a backlog of cases.
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