As a shooting targeting two National Guard soldiers took place near the White House in Washington, D.C., questions are growing over the shooter's motive. Ramhanullah Rakhankwal, 29, an immigrant from Afghanistan, was living in northwestern Washington state at the time of the incident but traveled across the continent to the capital, Washington, D.C., to carry out the attack. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has not yet issued an official announcement on the circumstances and purpose of the incident.
Meanwhile, on the 30th local time, a claim emerged that Rakhankwal became politically radicalized after entering the United States. Minister Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, said in an NBC interview, "We are still reviewing all the information, and any new information will be released by the FBI and the Department of Justice," but added, "We believe he became radicalized after he came to the United States." She continued, "We assess that his radicalization was influenced through the community in his area of residence and the consolidation within the state, and we continue to contact his family members and people who interacted with him."
Ramhanullah Rakhankwal is a former member of the local unit known as "Zero Unit," which cooperated with U.S. intelligence during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He entered the United States with the 2021 U.S. pullout and had been living in Washington state with his family. Minister Noem's remarks are interpreted as suggesting the possibility that, after entering the country, he became radicalized through the politically Democratic-leaning environment of Washington state or through contact with civic groups that helped his resettlement.
However, NBC pointed out that Noem's account alone does not sufficiently explain the motive. The Zero Unit to which Rakhankwal belonged was an elite unit operated by the CIA in Afghanistan, with a track record of fighting the Taliban in cooperation with the United States. NBC instead focused on the possibility that frustration stemming from an unstable immigration status and livelihood issues was the cause.
In fact, tens of thousands of Afghan entrants, including about 3,000 from the Zero Unit, have not yet received Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and have applied for asylum, and many are reportedly having their livelihoods threatened without even obtaining work permits. In Rakhankwal's case, it was confirmed that he supported his wife and five children and had recently worked briefly as a non-regular employee handling deliveries at Amazon.
A relative told NBC, "Please remember that he fought alongside Americans," and appealed, "We need help to understand why this happened."
In this regard, the Trump administration is taking issue with the fact that Rakhankwal entered the United States without sufficient screening. Although his asylum application was approved in Apr. this year, after the launch of the Trump second-term administration, it is emphasizing the responsibility of the previous Biden administration. Minister Noem said, "We must not forget that during the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration put people on planes and brought them to the United States without background checks," and criticized, "Joe Biden did not vet them at all." She added, "His asylum application began under the Biden administration, and the process proceeded based on information provided at that time," stressing, "This is the responsibility of the Biden administration."
President Trump also wrote on his social media, Truth Social, "Crooked Joe Biden, Mayorkas, and 'border czar' Kamala Harris let anyone in without any checks or vetting," claiming, "This has ruined the United States."
But people who worked at the CIA offered a different view. Gita Bakshi, a former CIA officer supporting former Zero Unit members, said, "Zero Unit members underwent thorough ideological vetting by the CIA not only at the time of enlistment but also during their service," adding, "Even so, no one can know what changes occur inside a person, or why a way of thinking turns to extremes."