The Afghan immigrant accused of assaulting National Guard personnel in Washington, D.C., last week may have been radicalized after arriving in the U.S., according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who made the statement on Sunday.
Officials have identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. He allegedly carried out a shooting near the White House on Wednesday, resulting in the death of one National Guard member and the critical injury of another.
“We suspect he became radicalized after his arrival in the U.S.,” Noem stated in an interview with NBC News. “We believe this radicalization occurred through connections within his home community and state. We are actively engaging with those who interacted with him, including his family.”
Noem also mentioned that U.S. officials have received “some cooperation” from people who were acquainted with Lakanwal.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered remarks in Quito, Ecuador, in July 2025. (Photo by Alex Brandon)
Lakanwal was legally admitted into the U.S. in 2021 as part of the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome. This initiative was designed to evacuate and resettle Afghan refugees following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Noem said that although asylum was formally granted to Lakanwal during the Trump administration in April, the vetting process all happened under the Biden administration, criticizing what she described as inadequate screening of Afghans and other foreign nationals during former President Joe Biden’s term.
Undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2025. (Provided by Department of Justice)
“When this abandonment of Afghanistan happened, the Biden administration put people on airplanes [and] brought them to the United States without vetting them,” Noem said. “They brought them into our country and then said they would vet them afterward.”
“All of that vetting information was collected by Joe Biden’s administration,” she added. “Joe Biden completely did not vet any of these individuals.”
According to Noem, President Donald Trump has since implemented measures to strengthen vetting for incoming immigrants, including reviewing social media activity and checking on who they interact with.
Afghan refugees, fleeing the Afghan capital Kabul, exit a U.S. air force plane on Aug. 29, 2021. (Armend Nimani/AFP)
After the devastating attack on Thanksgiving eve, Trump also announced that his administration will impose additional restrictions on migrants seeking to enter the United States, including a halt on all immigration from what he described as “Third World Countries.”
“The President is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third-world countries until we can have a thorough opportunity to go through these individuals,” Noem said on Sunday.
