Counterterrorism officials vetted Guard shooting suspect before he entered U.S.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Immigration

Counterterrorism officials vetted Guard shooting suspect before he entered U.S.

Individuals with knowledge of the process that Rahmanullah Lakanwal went through contradicted senior Trump officials’ claim that he was not scrutinized.

November 28, 2025 at 6:21 p.m. EST Today at 6:21 p.m. EST
9 min


Law enforcement officers respond to a shooting near the Farragut West Metro station in downtown Washington on Wednesday. (Tom Brenner/For the Washington Post )

By Mariana Alfaro, Karen DeYoung, Arelis R. Hernández, Jeremy Roebuck and Warren P. Strobel

The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House this week underwent thorough vetting by counterterrorism authorities before entering the United States, according to people with direct knowledge of the case.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, arrived in the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), a Biden-era program that helped resettle Afghan nationals after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The shooting has brought immediate scrutiny to that and other programs, with President Donald Trump announcing plans for a full review of those admitted and immigration officials halting the processing of requests from anyone from Afghanistan. In addition, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and other senior Trump officials claimed, without evidence, that Lakanwal was never vetted and laid blame for his presence in the U.S. on former president Joe Biden.

{snip}

Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.

By Mariana Alfaro, Karen DeYoung, Arelis R. Hernández, Jeremy Roebuck and Warren P. Strobel

https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/mariana-alfaro/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/karen-deyoung/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/arelis-r-hernandez/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jeremy-roebuck/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/warren-p-strobel/

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/11/28/dc-shooting-afghan-resettlement-immigration/

[Silent Type]

1. trump and his supporters will just say Biden did a poor job. We can rebut with trump admin gave him asylum.

Result, not much — if any— advantage for anyone. Just days of both parties pointing fingers.

[fujiyamasan]

2. Yes, unfortunately sometimes programs with good intentions

Will fail at times, and bad people make it through the cracks.

Like with any vetting, security clearance, or background check, they’re not fullproof. If they were we wouldn’t have double agents and moles in our intel agencies. We wouldn’t have a Robert Hansen or Aldrich Ames, but we do. Sometimes people just crack. Or they’re terrible people and hide it for a long time.

Trump will attempt to take political advantage of everything he can, and blame Obama and Biden for everything that happened before this term. Hell, he’ll blame them for decisions he made during his previous term. He will never take responsibility or admit a mistake. Never.

[travelingthrulife]

5. He was revetted and reapproved by Trump this past April. He was/is a CIA asset.

We will hopefully hear his side of the story at some point.

[Skittles]

3. notice how this one shooter represents all Afghan folk and immediate action is taken

no such consideration is given to the chronic mass shootings in America

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Gee, I guess the CIA likes hiring the un-vetted.

[travelingthrulife]

6. I know. All their lies are so tangled now.

Bottom line though is no one will ever trust the United States again.

[Mz Pip]

7. People who do the vetting

aren’t mind readers. They have no super powers to predict the future.

Blaming Biden, or a judge appointed by Biden may fit a political narrative but it’s bullshit. If this guy’s family and friends had no inkling of what he planned, why would anyone believe the people who handled his asylum hearing would know any better.

We may never know what set this guy off.