Rahmanullah Lakanwa, 29, has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Both National Guard victims are in critical condition in hospital
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has put an immediate stop to all immigration requests involving Afghan nationals.
It comes following the arrest of an Afghan man linked to a shooting in Washington DC that left two National Guard members critically wounded.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” USCIS announced on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
“The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” the agency stated.
Rahmanullah Lakanwa, an Afghan national, has been named as the alleged gunman who shot two National Defense guards on Wednesday, November 26.
Both victims were on duty during the targeted attack and are currently fighting for their lives in hospital, as confirmed by FBI director Kash Patel, according to the Express, reports the Mirror.
Lakanwa, 29, arrived in the US in September 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a programme launched under the Biden administration.
This scheme evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrew from the country, marking the end of nearly two decades of conflict with the Taliban.
A family member of Lakanwa revealed to NBC News that the accused had previously fought alongside US Special Forces in Afghanistan before making the move to America. They disclosed that Lakanwal had put in a decade of service with the Afghan Army, including time deployed at a base in Kandahar.
Addressing the incident, US President Donald Trump laid blame squarely at the feet of the Biden administration.
“He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about. Nobody knew who was coming in, nobody knew anything about it,” Trump declared.
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