Afghan Man Charged in DC Shooting May Have Been Radicalized in US, Officials Say A 29-year-old Afghan immigrant accused of gunning down two National Guard members near the White House last week was likely radicalized after arriving in the United States, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who faces first-degree murder charges in the November 26 attack, left one guardsman dead—a 20-year-old—and critically injured another. The shooting happened just blocks from the executive mansion, sending shockwaves through the capital right before Thanksgiving. Speaking on Sunday morning shows, Noem pointed to influences within Lakanwal's local community in Washington state, where he's lived since coming to the US. "We believe he was radicalized since he's been here in this country," she told NBC's "Meet the Press." In a follow-up on ABC's "This Week," she added that investigators are digging into his family ties and interactions to piece together what pushed him over the edge. Lakanwal arrived in 2021 amid the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan under President Biden, part of a huge evacuation as the Taliban swept back into power. He settled in Bellingham, Washington, and was granted asylum this past April by the incoming Trump administration. But Trump officials are now slamming the original vetting process as too loose. Noem admitted on ABC that follow-up checks after his entry "were not done well," while Trump himself fired off on Truth Social: "Crooked Joe Biden, Mayorkas, and so-called ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris really screwed our Country by letting anyone and everyone come in totally unchecked and unvetted!" Before fleeing Afghanistan, Lakanwal had worked with a CIA-supported local militia battling the Taliban. In response to the incident, the US has hit pause on all Afghan visa processing and halted decisions on pending asylum claims, leaving many in limbo. The case has residents in Lakanwal's apartment complex reeling, with some saying they had raised red flags about his behavior to authorities in the weeks leading up. As the probe deepens, it's a stark reminder of the ongoing fallout from America's longest war.