Rahmanullah Lakanwal ‘radicalised’ in US? What Kristi Noem said about National Guard shooting suspect

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday (Nov 30) that the suspect in the National Guard shooting in Washington was not “radicalised” until after he came to the US. She further blamed the former president Biden administration, despite the Afghan national’s asylum was approved under US President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, two National Guard officers were shot by an Afghan suspect. One of the officers lost her life, while the other is in critical condition, Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Noem said that the authorities believe that the alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had already been living in Washington when he became radicalised. She added that the investigators are enquiring more information from the suspect’s family members and other people. Her remarks suggest that Lakanwal may have embraced extremism after arriving in the US.

“We believe he was radicalised 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.”

The 29-year-old suspect, who was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, came to the US in 2021 as part of the mass evacuations under the Biden administration during the two-decade war in Afghanistan, when the Taliban came into power. While the Trump administration has accused the Biden administration of poor vetting of Afghans and foreign nationals. However, Lakanwal was granted asylum in April under Trump, as per government documents reviewed by Reuters.

Warning that the US authorities will pursue anyone who has information about him, she added, “Anyone who has the information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice,” she said.

“We are going to go through every single person that has a pending asylum claim,” Noem said, adding that the immigration officials would consider deporting individuals with active asylum cases if needed.

Following the shooting, the US State Department on Friday (Nov 28) announced an immediate pause on visa issuance for Afghan passport holders. On Sunday (Nov 30), Trump told reporters that he can pause asylum admissions in the US for an extended period.

“No time limit, but it could be a long time,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “We have enough problems. We don't want those people.”