DC Shooting Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal: US Entry and Asylum Status

Suspect Background and US Arrival

• 🎯 Authorities identify the suspect as a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
• 🤝 He previously worked with the US government, including the CIA, as part of a partner force in Kandahar that concluded in 2021.
• ✈️ Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. from Afghanistan in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome during the Biden administration.
• 🏠 He resided in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.

Investigation and Legal Proceedings

• 🚗 The suspect drove his vehicle from Washington state to the nation's capital with the intended target of Washington D.C.
• 🔍 Multiple search warrants were executed across the country, including at his last known residence in Washington state.
• ⚖️ The District of Columbia DA and FBI Director Patel are investigating the incident as an act of terror.
• 🔫 A .357 Smith & Wesson revolver was seized and sent for testing, along with electronics from searched residences.

Asylum Status and Parole

• ❓ Lakanwal applied for asylum under the Biden administration and was reportedly granted asylum under the Trump administration, possibly this year.
• 📜 A statement from Homeland Security indicated he was paroled in by the Biden administration.
• 🔒 The parole program and a court settlement bound USCIS to adjudicate his asylum claim on an expedited basis, preventing his removal regardless of asylum status.