WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that authorities believe the suspect in the National Guard shooting in Washington D.C., last week was radicalized in the U.S.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is accused of firing at two National Guard members, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, on Wednesday afternoon.
President Donald Trump said last week he would “permanently pause” migration from “third-world countries” after Lakanwal was identified as an Afghan national. Noem said Sunday that the administration believes Lakanwal was radicalized once he entered the United States.
“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,” she said on the Sunday shows.
In a separate interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Noem said the suspect “could have been radicalized” in the U.S.
“He was brought into the country by the Biden administration through Operation Allies Welcome. And then, maybe vetted after that, but not done well, based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden,” Noem said on ABC This Week. “And now, since he’s been here, we believe he could have been radicalized in his home community and in his home state.”
FWRD AXIS News reported that Lakanwal, who served alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan, came to the U.S. in 2021, during the Biden administration, but was granted asylum during the Trump administration.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Lakanwal will be charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to harm, and criminal possession of a weapon. National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom died last week, and National Guard member Andrew Wolfe is still hospitalized.
Noem repeatedly claimed that the alleged shooter was “unvetted” by the Biden administration, but was asked about the vetting process, if any, that had been performed by the Trump administration.
“All the information that was gathered on that vetting process was gathered under the Biden administration. His asylum claim application started under the Biden administration. That information was provided by them, and the responsibility lies with them,” she said.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that there was “minimal to little vetting” of individuals who were granted entry to the U.S. through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program.
The Trump administration has not provided evidence to support these claims that the Biden administration did not thoroughly vet the suspect.
A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that the Trump administration is “going to blame Joe Biden on everything.”
“It is almost getting comical at this point,” he said.
Noem said the asylum process would resume after the backlog of cases was “cleared up” and vetted under the Trump administration’s standards.
“The individuals who are here in this country on that program need to be vetted under our standards that we’re implementing under President Trump to ensure that they even should be in our country and, if they’re not, removed immediately,” Noem said.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen also pushed back on Noem’s claims on ABC’s This Week that the Biden administration’s vetting procedures led to Wednesday’s shooting.
“We should always review our vetting, but in this case, there’s no evidence that there was something that escaped the vetting,” Van Hollen said.
“I do think it is outrageous and unfair to try to punish an entire class of people for the evil acts of one person. That is collective punishment,” he continued. “These are individuals who worked side by side with America in the fight against the Taliban. And if they were sent back now, the Taliban may likely kill them.”
