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The recent National Guard shooting in Washington, DC has ignited one of the most
intense political and national security debates of the year, especially after
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that the suspect, Rahmanullah
Lakanwal, was “radicalized” inside the United States. Her statement added fuel to
an already heated argument over immigration vetting, asylum approvals, and the
responsibility of the Biden and Trump administrations. Yet as new details emerge,
the story appears far more complex than a simple narrative of radicalization.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, arrived in the United States
in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the program created to resettle Afghans
who worked closely with US forces after the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal’s background is not that of a typical asylum seeker. He spent more than a
decade working with a CIA-sponsored and trained Afghan special forces group
known as a Zero Unit. These units were widely considered among the most heavily
vetted partners America had in Afghanistan, often trusted with dangerous
missions and direct coordination with American intelligence officers. According to
federal records, his asylum was officially approved in April 2025 under the Trump
administration, despite later political claims that the Biden administration failed
to vet him properly.
The shooting that took place near the White House left one National Guard
member dead and another critically wounded. Lakanwal himself was shot and
hospitalized, but no update has been given on his current condition. Prosecutors
said he faces a first-degree murder charge and expect additional charges to be
filed as investigators work to understand what led to the violent attack. What
complicates the picture is that law enforcement officials have not yet identified
any political or ideological motive, and so far, no evidence of extremist recruitment
or direct radical involvement has been released to the public.
Despite that, Kristi Noem insisted during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the
Press that Lakanwal was radicalized “here in this country,” suggesting that the
problem began within his local community. She added that the vetting process
that allowed him to enter the US was “abandoned” by the Biden administration—
although immigration records clearly show the asylum approval occurred under
Donald Trump. Noem also said her team was speaking with family members and
community contacts to understand what may have influenced him in recent years.
The political tension escalated when former President Donald Trump used the
shooting as justification for considering a long pause on asylum admissions.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said the United States “has enough
problems” and may need to halt asylum acceptance for an extended period,
possibly without a set time limit. He argued that dangerous individuals are
entering the country because vetting systems have become too weak. His
statements came despite the fact that Lakanwal had been repeatedly vetted—not
only before his asylum approval but also during his years of service alongside US
intelligence forces.
As the political back-and-forth intensified, more information surfaced about
Lakanwal’s life after arriving in the US, and it paints a troubling picture of a man
struggling deeply with mental health issues and the challenges of assimilation.
According to emails obtained by the Associated Press and interviews conducted
by CNN, Lakanwal suffered from what appeared to be severe PTSD stemming from
years of combat in Afghanistan. His family members told authorities he had
trouble adjusting to life in Washington state, where he lived with his wife, five
children, and occasionally two nephews.
Community members described alarming behavioral changes beginning in early
2023. He quit his job, withdrew socially, and often spent long stretches isolated in a
dark room without speaking to his family. At times, he seemed to make efforts to
reengage with his responsibilities, but those periods were followed by what
witnesses called sudden “manic episodes,” during which he would embark on
impulsive, cross-country road trips. On one occasion he drove all the way to
Chicago; on another, to Arizona. His most recent trip—to the nation’s capital, where
the shooting occurred—raised further concerns about his deteriorating mental
state.
His difficulties also placed strain on his family. When his wife traveled, the children
were sometimes left without proper meals, clean clothes, or bathing. Their school
raised concerns, and a neighbor contacted a refugee organization fearing that
Lakanwal was becoming suicidal. The neighbor, who later spoke to CNN on
condition of anonymity, described him as a “simple and nice guy” who attended a
local mosque but had stopped showing up in the weeks before the attack.
What is especially significant is that none of the community members who
expressed concern about him believed he was capable of violence against others.
They saw him as a man falling apart under pressure, not someone plotting an
attack. And while Noem emphasized radicalization, intelligence officials noted that
Zero Unit members like Lakanwal were among the most thoroughly vetted
individuals ever allowed to resettle in the US. His recruitment into the Zero Unit
would have required multiple layers of screening, and his asylum process would
have then repeated several of those vetting steps. Several former intelligence and
military officials have made it clear that there is no known case of Zero Unit
veterans being involved in extremist activity.
At the same time, many Afghan veterans who resettled in the US have faced
difficult conditions. Thousands remain stuck in legal limbo without work permits,
struggling to support their families, and dealing with untreated trauma from years
of war. Refugee advocates warned both the Biden and Trump administrations that
delayed progress on legal status and lack of mental health resources were driving
some veterans into despair. In that context, Lakanwal’s story may be less about
radicalization and more about a system unprepared to support the very people it
relied on during two decades of conflict.
The political storm surrounding the case grew even more intense when Noem was
questioned about a separate controversy: her decision to continue deportation
flights to El Salvador earlier this year, despite a federal judge’s order for the flights
to return to the United States. Noem claimed she acted within her authority and
argued that “activist judges” were interfering with the government’s ability to
protect Americans. The Justice Department said her actions did not technically
violate the court order, but Judge James Boasberg has launched a contempt
inquiry to determine whether the Trump administration defied his ruling. Noem’s
firm stance on immigration enforcement has become a central part of her public
identity, and the shooting case has only amplified her message.
As the investigation continues, major questions remain unanswered. Authorities
have not identified a motive, and family members insist they cannot understand
why someone who fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan would carry out
such an attack. Meanwhile, political leaders on both sides are using the case to
reinforce their positions on immigration and national security, each accusing the
other of negligence or politicization.
What is clear is that the story of Rahmanullah Lakanwal is not easily reduced to a
single explanation. It sits at the intersection of trauma, immigration policy,
political conflict, and national security fears. Whether the final investigation
supports Noem’s claim of radicalization or points toward untreated mental illness,
the case exposes the urgent need to reevaluate support systems for refugees,
rethink political messaging around asylum, and reconsider how the US handles the
long-term consequences of war. It also forces the country to confront how quickly
complex human tragedies can be transformed into political talking points, often
before the full truth is known.
