National Guard shooter was radicalised while in US, says Homeland Security Secretary Noem
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The suspect has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who law enforcement officials allege drove across the country to carry out the attack.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – The US authorities believe the shooter suspected of killing one National Guard member and seriously wounding another in Washington, DC, was radicalised while in the US, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
Asked about the suspect’s motive, Ms Noem said investigators are still collecting information and talking to his contacts.
“But I will say we believe he was radicalised since he’s been here in this country,” she said in an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press on Nov 30.
“We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members. So far, we’ve had some participation.”
The federal authorities have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who worked with US forces and the Central Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan before arriving in the US in 2021.
He was subdued and taken into custody shortly after the shooting on a street a few blocks from the White House
President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance and other administration officials blamed the Biden team for letting Lakanwal into the US and seized on the attack to push for deeper immigration curbs, including halting reviews of Afghan immigration proceedings and ordering a review of those already in the US.
That raises the prospect that settlement rights for Afghan allies of US forces may be curtailed.
The investigation has included searches in Washington state, where Lakanwal lived with his wife and children, as well as in California. Law enforcement officials allege he drove across the country to the capital to carry out the attack.
The authorities are treating the shooting as a terror case, though they have not publicly disclosed a motive. Ms Noem did not provide details about how the suspect may have been radicalised.
Two West Virginia National Guard members were shot in the attack. US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died on Nov 27 of her injuries. US Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was wounded and remains hospitalised.
Ms Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said on Nov 28 that the suspected gunman would face charges, including first-degree murder. US Attorney-General Pam Bondi indicated that the authorities would seek the death penalty. BLOOMBERG
