Officials suspect that the Afghan immigrant accused of attacking members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., last week became radicalized after arriving in the United States. This information was shared by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was involved in a shooting incident on Wednesday near the White House, which resulted in the death of one National Guard member and left another critically wounded.

Noem stated on NBC News, “Our investigation suggests that his radicalization occurred after he came to the U.S. We believe connections within his local community and state played a role, and we are actively engaging with those who knew him, including family members.”

She also noted that U.S. authorities have received “some cooperation” from people familiar with Lakanwal.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the media in Quito, Ecuador, in July 2025. (Alex Brandon)

Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, a program that evacuated and resettled Afghan refugees as the Taliban took control 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.