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‘Radicalised in US’: Homeland security chief shares updates on Afghan suspect in DC shooting
Kristi Noem said officials were continuing to interview family members and contacts, noting, “So far we’ve had some participation.”
US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday said investigators believe the man accused of fatally shooting a National Guard member and injuring another in Washington, DC, was radicalised after arriving in the United States.
Asked about the suspected gunman’s motive on NBC’s show, Noem said investigators were still building a full picture and speaking with people connected to him.
“But I will say we believe he was radicalised since he’s been here in this country,” she said, adding that his “home community and state” appeared to have played a role. She said officials were continuing to interview family members and contacts, noting, “So far we’ve had some participation.”
Who is the Afghan suspect
Federal authorities have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who previously worked with US forces and the CIA in Afghanistan before arriving in the US in 2021, reported Bloomberg.
He was subdued and arrested shortly after Wednesday’s shooting, which took place just a few blocks from the White House.
The investigation has stretched across states, including searches in Washington state, where Lakanwal lived with his wife and children, and California.
Officials allege he drove across the country to carry out the attack. Authorities are treating the incident as a terror case but have not publicly detailed a motive. Noem also declined to explain how he may have been radicalised.
US National Guard shooting
Two West Virginia National Guard members were shot during the attack. US army specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died on Thursday from her injuries.
US air force staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains hospitalized.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said the suspect will face charges including first-degree murder. US Attorney General Pam Bondi has already signaled that prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the shooting has triggered an intense political clash in Washington.
US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials blamed the Biden administration for allowing Lakanwal into the US, seizing on the incident to push for tighter immigration rules.
The Trump administration has already halted reviews of Afghan immigration cases and ordered fresh scrutiny of Afghans who have been admitted, a move that could restrict settlement rights for Afghan allies of the US.
On November 27, Trump vowed to permanently pause migration from “all Third World Countries,” “terminate” what he called “illegal admissions” under Biden and end federal benefits for non-citizens.
He also promised to deport foreign nationals deemed security risks and “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.”
