The story coming out of Washington, D.C., is the kind of headline that makes people stop mid-sentence — not just because of the tragedy itself, but because of the long trail of missed warning signs, bad policies, and political excuses that now follow it. The suspect, 29‑year‑old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is accused of allegedly killing National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and seriously wounding Guardsman Andrew Wolfe the day before Thanksgiving. According to authorities, Lakanwal allegedly opened fire on the pair before being injured by return fire. He is expected to survive and stand trial.
And now, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the Biden-era vetting system is at the heart of the problem.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Noem said the federal government believes Lakanwal was “radicalized” after entering the United States — a stunning claim when you consider he was allowed in under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“I will say we believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country,” Noem said, adding that the suspect reportedly maintained “connections” to people in Afghanistan who may have helped influence him. Noem said investigators are now speaking with individuals in Lakanwal’s “home community and state,” including acquaintances and family members.
🚨 BREAKING: Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan terrorist who shot National Guardsmen, worked with the CIA as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan, per CIA Director Ratcliffe
Holy crap.
“The individual—and so many others—should have NEVER been allowed to come… pic.twitter.com/Yjp5Dkb8gb
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 27, 2025
It didn’t take long for President Donald Trump to weigh in either. He labeled the shooting a “terrorist attack,” saying Lakanwal “went nuts,” and warning that “it happens too often with these people.” The comment sent critics into predictable fits, but the concern about national security lapses is far from fringe — especially considering this attack involved members of the National Guard in the nation’s capital.
Lakanwal had been granted asylum in April after serving in a CIA‑backed Afghan special forces unit. But Noem stressed that although his asylum was approved under the current administration, the vetting “all happened under Joe Biden’s administration,” insisting the process was “completely abandoned.”
Meanwhile, reports from the Associated Press paint a concerning picture of Lakanwal’s life in the U.S. well before the attack. After settling with his wife and children in Bellingham, Washington, he reportedly struggled to work, struggled to integrate, and according to a community advocate who works with Afghan refugees, showed troubling behavioral signs going as far back as early 2023.
In one January 2024 email, the community advocate wrote that Lakanwal “has not been functional as a person, father and provider” since March of the previous year. He allegedly quit his job, withdrew from his family, and spent weeks in a “darkened room, not speaking to anyone.” The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants followed up on the concern, but records suggest no meaningful intervention took place.
From there, things only grew more concerning. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro says Lakanwal drove across the country from Washington State to D.C., where he allegedly carried out the fatal attack.
🚨 BREAKING: The Soros-linked NGO “World Relief” FUNDED the settlement of National Guard shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal in Washington State, from Afghanistan.
World Relief has received US TAXPAYER DOLLARS through USAID.
This same NGO has worked with pro-migration and open borders… pic.twitter.com/CaR6MdAxlD
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 27, 2025
It’s the kind of story that is sure to fuel debate in a nation already focused on border security and immigration screening. It raises questions federal officials will now have to answer: What exactly failed? Who missed the warnings? And how did an individual showing such obvious distress — and alleged radicalization — make it all the way to the nation’s capital before anyone intervened?
For now, the investigation continues, tensions rise, and the public is left waiting for answers that will likely spark even more questions.
