29 year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal was arrested Wednesday and accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in downtown Washington D.C., who both are currently hospitalized in critical condition. The alleged gunman's motive has not yet been revealed, but President Donald Trump insinuated in a video address posted to Truth Social that the shooting could be attributed to former President Joe Biden's immigration and refugee policy.
"The suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered out country from Afghanistan — a hellhole on earth. He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021," Trump said. "... His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden ... This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation."
However, CNN law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said Wednesday that new information about Lakanwal suggests that the Trump administration may be more to blame for Lakanwal's residency than Biden. He pointed out that the alleged shooter may have had his visa sponsored by U.S. military personnel as part of programs in place meant to help Afghanis fleeing the Taliban who helped the United States.
"He applies for asylum in December of 2024," Miller said. "Now, he goes through another vetting process involving that, and he's approved for asylum in April of this year, under the Trump administration."
The new revelations sparked outrage on social media. Writer Wajahat Ali tweeted: "Why did Trump invite a man who shot the National Guard?"
"Am I doing this right, MAGA? I am, right? I'm following your logic," he wrote. "So, yeah, Donald Trump should be blamed entirely."
"The [alleged] shooter was granted asylum this year," observed Colorado State University political science professor Maria Isabel Puerta Riera.
"WHY DID THE FBI LEAVE THIS OUT OF THEIR BRIEFING?" New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow wrote on X. "WHY DIDN'T KASH PATEL MENTION ANY OF THIS?"
Researcher Arif Ammar noted that there are still "many questions" on the nature of the Wednesday shooting including the "motive of the assailant," "who sponsored his evacuation from Afghanistan" and any "possible adverse affiliation of the suspect."