BBC:
In an interview on Sunday with NBC, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Mr Lakanwal had been “radicalised since he’s been here in this country” and that officials believed this happened “through connections in his home community and state”.
Mr Lakanwal, an Afghan national, entered the US as part of the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome programme.
This was during the period after the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. As the Taliban took back control of the country, there were fears of retribution against individuals, such as Mr Lakanwal, who had co-operated with the US.
He applied for asylum in 2024, and his application was granted earlier this year, an official told CBS.
He lived with his wife and five children in Bellingham, Washington – a state on the other side of the country from where last week’s attack took place.
A motive is not yet known, but a picture of Mr Lakanwal’s life in the US has started to emerge through the emails that were sent last year to non-profit group US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
The case worker who was helping the family access services in the US sent an email on 11 January 2024, expressing concern that Mr Lakanwal had not been employed for a year and his family faced eviction.
“World Relief volunteers are trying to patch things for that family – but I think the father has mental health issues that are not addressed, and he won’t talk to anyone,” a section of the email obtained by CBS reads. World Relief is a group that helped with the relocation of Afghan nationals.
In a separate email sent on 31 January 2024, the case worker said Mr Lakanwal “spends most of his time for weeks on end in his darkened bedroom, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife and older kids”.
The case worker, who was not a mental health professional, also said Mr Lakanwal had “manic episodes for one or two weeks at a time where he will take off in the family car”. They also said he had periods in which he would try to “make amends”.
