Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal and why did he seek asylum in the US?
Executive summary
Rahmanullah Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan national identified by U.S. authorities as the suspect in the Nov. 26, 2025, shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.; reporting says he came to the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted in April 2025 under the Trump administration [1] [2] [3]. Authorities and multiple outlets report he worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and was vetted before entry; the shooting has prompted the administration to pause asylum decisions and announce broad reviews of related cases [4] [2] [5].
1. Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal — the basics
Lakanwal is described in official statements and major outlets as a 29-year-old Afghan national who arrived in the United States in September 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the program set up to resettle Afghans who assisted U.S. forces after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan [1] [4]. Law enforcement and reporting say he had worked with U.S. government partners during the war in Afghanistan — including as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, according to statements cited by multiple outlets — and that he lived in Bellingham, Washington, with family before the shooting [3] [1] [6].
2. How and when he obtained asylum, according to reporting
Multiple news organizations report that Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and that his asylum application was approved in April 2025, after President Trump returned to office [2] [3] [7]. Reuters, CNN, BBC and other outlets cite government files or law enforcement sources indicating the April 2025 approval [3] [2] [8]. Some outlets also note that he originally entered under the Biden-era humanitarian program in 2021 and later pursued affirmative asylum [4] [9].
3. Vetting and officials’ competing narratives
Government files cited by Reuters say Lakanwal had been vetted because of his work with U.S. partners in Afghanistan and that no disqualifying information was found at that time [3]. After the shooting, Trump administration officials framed the case as evidence of vetting or parole failures and announced reviews of asylum approvals; critics and some reporting point out the asylum approval itself occurred in April 2025 under the current administration, complicating claims that only prior administrations bear responsibility [3] [10] [11]. Available sources do not mention internal vetting details beyond broad statements that he had been vetted [3].
4. Why he sought asylum — what sources report and what they don’t
Reporting establishes motive for seeking refuge in general terms: Lakanwal arrived under Operation Allies Welcome, a program for Afghans who helped U.S. forces and who faced risk in Afghanistan, which is the context for many Afghans’ asylum claims [4] [9]. Sources say he applied formally for asylum in 2024 and was granted in 2025, but none of the provided sources detail his asylum application’s specific grounds, personal statements, or legal arguments — those specifics are not found in current reporting [2] [3]. Therefore, available sources do not mention the individualized reasons he advanced in his asylum claim.
5. Legal status nuance and reporting caveats
Coverage notes overlapping immigration mechanisms: entry under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 was separate from the later asylum application reportedly filed in 2024 and approved in 2025; some officials have conflated parole, resettlement program status and affirmative asylum decisions in public comments [9] [3]. Fact-checking outlets and detailed reports stress uncertainty about which legal pathway would have prevented removal absent asylum approval; some outlets note litigation and settlements affecting removal policy but specifics are not in the provided sources [12] [11]. Available sources do not provide a full public record of the immigration case file or the adjudicator’s reasoning [12].
6. Aftermath: policy actions and political reactions
The shooting prompted immediate policy responses: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services paused asylum decisions and the administration announced reviews of asylum approvals tied to certain timeframes and nationalities, as reported across outlets [5] [10] [8]. Political actors used the incident to push competing narratives — some blaming prior administration programs, others noting the asylum approval occurred in April 2025 — illustrating how the case has been seized for partisan arguments [3] [11].
Limitations and final note
This account sticks to facts reported in the supplied coverage: Lakanwal’s identity, arrival in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, an asylum application in 2024 and reported approval in April 2025, plus his alleged role in the Nov. 26 shooting and subsequent policy fallout [1] [2] [3]. Sources do not include Lakanwal’s asylum application text, a full vetting record, or a criminal-court disposition beyond charges reported, so those details remain unreported in current coverage [12].