Noem says National Guard shooting suspect could have been radicalized in US

[ad_1] Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem mentioned that authorities imagine the suspected shooter who they are saying opened fireplace on Nationwide Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., final week may need been radicalized after he arrived in the US.

The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is accused of firing at two Nationwide Guard members, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, on Wednesday afternoon.

Lakanwal -- an Afghan nationwide who labored with the CIA throughout the U.S. battle in Afghanistan -- got here to the U.S. after Afghanistan's authorities fell to the Taliban in 2021 and was granted asylum in April of this yr.

"He was introduced into the nation by the Biden administration via Operation Allies Welcome. After which, perhaps vetted after that, however not completed effectively, based mostly on what the rules had been put ahead by President Biden," Noem instructed ABC Information' "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Sunday morning. "And now, since he is been right here, we imagine he might have been radicalized in his house neighborhood and in his house state."

Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem seems on ABC Information' "This Week" on Nov. 30, 2025.

ABC Information

Noem repeatedly claimed that the alleged shooter was "unvetted" by the Biden administration. Pressed by Karl on whether or not any vetting had been carried out by the Trump administration, which had been in workplace for a number of months when Lakanwal was granted asylum earlier this yr, Noem mentioned that the knowledge that was used to vet him was collected by the earlier administration.

"All the knowledge that was gathered on that vetting course of was gathered underneath the Biden administration. His asylum declare software began underneath the Biden administration. That data was offered by them, and the duty lies with them," she mentioned.

Karl requested, "You had been merely counting on what had been completed underneath the Biden administration? You probably did no vetting earlier than granting him asylum?"

Noem responded: "The processes put in place had been put in place utilizing data that was gathered throughout the software course of. It occurred underneath Joe Biden, and that has been fully fastened, and new metrics and new processes have been added underneath President Trump."

Claims by Noem and different administration officers that the Afghans who resettled within the U.S. after the August 2021 withdrawal weren't vetted are disputed by others aware of the method on the time.

However ABC Information contributor and former Homeland Safety undersecretary for intelligence John Cohen mentioned underneath Operation Allies Welcome, these touring to the U.S. had been vetted in opposition to categorized and unclassified intelligence and submitted biographical and biometric knowledge as a part of the method.

In keeping with Cohen, whereas there have been some delays in vetting -- and even situations the place people boarded planes or arrived at locations outdoors the U.S. previous to a full vetting being accomplished -- these people had that data collected at processing places.

"These individuals spent anyplace from a few days to a few weeks, in some circumstances months, at these third-country lilypad websites," Sam Aronson, a former State Division official who spent 10 days in Kabul on the top of the U.S. withdrawal, mentioned. "That is the place the in depth vetting happened."

Moreover, ABC Information beforehand reported {that a} senior U.S. official mentioned that the suspect had been vetted at one level by the Nationwide Counterterrorism Heart and "nothing got here up" throughout that assessment. The official added that "he was clear on all checks." The suspect's association with the CIA throughout the battle, which was confirmed by the director, would have virtually actually required him to be vetted by the company on the time.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., seems on ABC Information' "This Week" on Nov. 30, 2025.

ABC Information

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen additionally pushed again in opposition to Noem's assertion that the Biden administration's vetting procedures led to Wednesday's assault.

"We must always all the time assessment our vetting, however on this case, there is no proof that there was one thing that escaped the vetting," Van Hollen mentioned.

Van Hollen criticized the Trump administration's announcement on Friday that it was pausing all asylum choices following the taking pictures.

"I do assume it's outrageous and unfair to attempt to punish a whole class of individuals for the evil acts of 1 particular person. That's collective punishment," he continued. "These are people who labored aspect by aspect with America within the battle in opposition to the Taliban. And in the event that they had been despatched again now, the Taliban could probably kill them."