Washington, D.C. shooting suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was taken into custody after being shot by other guardsmen, CBS News reported.
Law-enforcement sources revealed to the New York Post that Lakanwal entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome and had been resettled in Bellingham, Washington.
Read more: Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? Afghan identified as DC shooting suspect
What is Operation Allies Welcome?
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had launched Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) on August 29, 2021, to coordinate the resettlement of Afghans who evacuated amid the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The programme sought to provide a haven to “vulnerable Afghans” that include interpreters, embassy-affiliated staff, and other at-risk individuals. These were people who had aided U.S. forces for over two decades.
The resettlement process included biometric and biographic screening by multiple agencies such as the intelligence community, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), DHS, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
{{/usCountry}}The resettlement process included biometric and biographic screening by multiple agencies such as the intelligence community, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), DHS, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
{{/usCountry}}According to Global Refuge, OAW brought tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees into the United States under humanitarian parole or related visa programs; many have since been relocated from temporary bases to communities across the country.
Read more: Rahmanullah Lakanwal: DC shooting suspect's alleged social media account emerges
Shooter's background stokes security concerns
Rashmanullah was admitted to the States under the OAW program and was settled in Washington, D.C.
This information has reignited public and political debate over the vetting procedures and national security risks woven into the 2021 resettlement effort, pertaining to which now Former President Joe Biden is now under fire.
Opponents of the program argue that the urgency of evacuation compromised thorough screening. Indeed, the most recent independent assessment by the DOJ’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) noted that the rapid pace made full vetting difficult, increasing the risk that “bad actors” could slip in.