Overview
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said investigators believe Rahmanullah Lakanwal became radicalized in Washington state, with inquiries focusing on his family and local contacts.
- Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 26 attack near the White House that killed Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and left Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, hospitalized.
- Federal agents are pursuing a terrorism-style investigation with searches in Washington state and California, though authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive.
- The Trump administration paused asylum decisions, suspended Afghan visas, and ordered rigorous reviews of green-card cases tied to 19 countries, with officials saying pending asylum claims will be reexamined and removals considered where warranted.
- Lakanwal entered in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and was part of a CIA-backed partner unit; his asylum was approved in April 2025 as debate intensifies over vetting, with DHS data to Sen. Chuck Grassley showing thousands of evacuees flagged for potential derogatory information and Democrats arguing there is no evidence of a vetting lapse in this case.