Afghan Guard suspect was radicalized AFTER coming to US, Noem says

Kristi Noem has claimed that the suspect in the national guard shooting in Washington D.C. was 'radicalized' in the US after entering the country under the Biden administration.

During an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Noem said that authorities believe alleged shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal became indoctrinated in his extremist ideology while living in Washington.

'I will say we believe he was radicalized since he's been here in this country. 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,' Noem told the outlet.

Lakanwal, 29, faces charges of first-degree murder after he allegedly opened fire on soldiers Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Sarah Beckstrom, 20, on Wednesday near the White House.

Noem went on to reinforce Donald Trump's criticism of the Biden Administration for not properly vetting Afghans who sought asylum after the fall of Kabul in 2021.

Lakanwal arrived in the US in September 2021 as part of the mass evacuation of Afghans who aided US forces during the war in Afghanistan.

The 29-year-old had served as an ally of Special Forces troops in his CIA-backed 'Zero Unit.'

He applied for asylum in 2024 after his temporary visa lapsed, and in April 2025, it was granted by the Trump administration.

'He was brought into the country by the Biden administration through Operation Allies Welcome. And then, maybe vetted after that, but not done well, based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden,' said Noem to ABC News' This Week.

She reiterated that her department believes Lakanwal was radicalized since entering the country.

While some individuals in connection to the alleged shooter have participated with officials according to Noem, she added that, 'Anyone who has the information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice.'

When Noem was further questioned about the vetting process by the Trump administration, she claimed that the information that was used to vet him was collected by the previous administration.

'His asylum claim application started under the Biden administration. That information was provided by them, and the responsibility lies with them,' said Noem to ABC.

The secretary claimed the application process 'has been completely fixed, and new metrics and new processes have been added under President Trump.'

The shooting prompted Trump to pause asylum applications as well as green card applications for an undisclosed period which he described as possibly a 'long time'.

'We have enough problems. We don't want those people,' added the president.

Noem added on Sunday that immigration would be thoroughly combing through every pending asylum case and would potentially move to deport those with active applications if warranted.

Trump revealed that he is considering deporting the family of the terror suspect, including at least five children.

Trump said his team are 'looking at that right now' when asked about the fate of Lakanwal's family, describing the fallout as a 'tragic situation.'

Officials said at a Thursday press conference that Lakanwal drove across the country from his home in Bellingham, Washington to DC before he fired at the troops on Wednesday afternoon with a .357 revolver.

Late on Wednesday night, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Lakanwal had direct links to the CIA from his work alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan.

'The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government, including CIA,' Ratcliffe admitted.

He said his involvement with the CIA was 'as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation.'

Like Trump, Ratcliffe slammed the former administration's 'disastrous' actions during the withdrawal of Afghanistan, which allowed unvetted foreigners to enter the US on temporary visas.

'The individual - and so many others - should have never been allowed to come here,' Ratcliffe said.

'Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration's catastrophic failures.'

Trump announced Beckstrom's death on Thursday evening during a call with military leaders to mark the Thanksgiving holiday.

He said: 'She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now... she was an incredible person, outstanding in every single way.

In a Truth Social post, Trump blasted former president Biden for letting unvetted migrants stream into America - claiming he allowed the Afghan shooting suspect into the US during the disastrous 2021 withdrawal.

'I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover,' he wrote on social media.

Trump also vowed to end all federal benefits for noncitizens, denaturalize migrants who undermine the US, and deport any foreign nationals deemed a security risk or 'non-compatible with Western Civilization'.

'Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,' he wrote in the Truth Social post.

'Other than that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for - You won’t be here for long!'

The countries that will face a re-examination are: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.