WASHINGTON — One day after two National Guard members were critically wounded in a high-profile shooting near the White House, a months-old police shooting in Virginia involving another Afghan national resurfaced on Thursday, drawing renewed scrutiny of federal vetting procedures.
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On Wednesday, Pfc. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, were ambushed in downtown Washington. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021, allegedly drove cross-country before opening fire. Both soldiers remain in critical condition.
As national attention intensified, a body-camera video from an April 23 police shooting in Fairfax, Va. began circulating again. In that incident, officers stopped Jamal Wali, 36, an Afghan national who arrived in the U.S. in 2014 as a military translator. During the stop, Wali grew agitated, referenced the Taliban, and opened fire. Two officers were struck in the arms and later released from the hospital. Wali was killed when police returned fire.
Fairfax police said at the time that Wali’s remarks suggested deep frustration and instability, and investigators later found no broader threat tied to the case.
The resurfacing of the Virginia footage comes as federal officials face questions about how Afghan nationals admitted under various U.S. programs were screened. Lakanwal entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome following the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, while Wali arrived a decade earlier during an Obama-era resettlement effort for Afghan translators.
Officials have not linked the two cases beyond the men’s nationality and immigration pathways, but the back-to-back attention has reignited debate over the thoroughness of background checks conducted during emergency evacuations and earlier resettlement programs.
The Trump administration on Thursday announced the deployment of 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington and said it would re-examine asylum approvals and immigration files of Afghan nationals.
Federal investigators stressed that both cases remain isolated incidents, and no broader threat has been identified. Authorities continue to urge caution in drawing conclusions as both investigations move forward.
Yep. Importing millions of islamonazis was a bad idea.
As was accepting the “free” airplane, by the way.
Does Trump and the Congressional leadership have a strategy to reset the third world immigration and the Qatari influence? Ranting on Twitter and issuing temporary executive orders is not enough anymore.
These 2 Afganis both helped the US military, and were both vetted by US Intelligence. They were both clearly suffering from PTSD, something that can affect “our” boys just as much. That’s where the focus should be. Rants about “islamonazis” are misplaced in the context of these news stories. This point is directed at everyone, from the POTUS all the way up to those who really run the country – the commentators on VIN.