The shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has renewed scrutiny of what critics call the administration’s emblematic failure in vetting Afghan arrivals. The Justice Department charged Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal with four counts, including murder, after the Nov. 26 attack that left U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom dead and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe hospitalized.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the case shows the Biden administration’s “emblematic failure” to properly vet individuals brought to the United States after the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Patel told Fox News host Laura Ingraham, “The problem with this case shows the emblematic failure of the Biden administration to vet anyone who came here from Afghanistan after the disastrous withdrawal.”
A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered Lakanwal held without bond as he remains under guard in a hospital. Officials continue to examine how and where he may have been radicalized. Patel said, “This is a sprawling international terrorism investigation that the FBI is leading out on,” adding that agents “are not going to leave any stone unturned.”
Federal watchdogs previously warned of gaps in the vetting process. A 2022 Homeland Security inspector general report stated that “U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the [Afghan] evacuees.”
Patel also pledged a full review of individuals who entered the country during the withdrawal. He said the FBI will vet “every single person that came in here — legally or illegally or otherwise.” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem separately announced an “overhauling” of vetting procedures, including biometric cross-referencing and expanded social media screening.
