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

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.

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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/