OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
11:21 AM – Thursday, November 27, 2025
Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville ignited a firestorm on Wednesday night, demanding the federal government to “IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us” — hours after an Afghan national ambushed and shot two National Guardsmen near the White House.
According to reports, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal is from the Khost province of Afghanistan, a Pashtun-majority area bordering Pakistan where over 99% of the population is Muslim — predominantly Sunni.
His first name, Rahmanullah, also means “Mercy of Allah” or “Compassion of Allah” in Arabic.
During the attack, D.C. authorities say that Lakanwal shouted “Allahu Akbar!” (“God is Great”), an Arabic phrase commonly associated with Islamic declarations. This has been cited by law enforcement as indicative of an Islamist motive.
In a post on X that has rapidly surpassed thousands of likes and reposts, the former Auburn football coach-turned-Alabama Senator directly tied the attack to former Democrat President Joe Biden’s policies. The Afghan national entered the U.S. in September 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, and he had his asylum application approved earlier this year in April.
“The Afghan terrorist who shot 2 National Guard heroes in D.C. was welcomed into this country with open arms by Joe Biden. We must IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack,” he wrote.
Tuberville has previously sponsored legislation to prohibit Sharia law in Alabama courts and the U.S., in addition to blocking student visas from certain Muslim-majority countries. Tuberville, known for his “America First” stance and background as a college football coach, has positioned himself as a vocal opponent of “radical Islam” and foreign adversaries. His sponsorship of bills targeting Sharia law and student visas from certain countries reflects his concerns with national security, immigration, and cultural preservation.
Meanwhile, these efforts have drawn praise from conservative groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and Heritage Action — but sharp criticism from Muslim advocacy organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — which label them as “Islamophobic.”
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have since announced an indefinite halt on processing immigration requests from Afghan nationals, pending “further review of security and vetting protocols.”
The 29-year-old suspect served for a full decade in the Afghan National Army, including extended duty alongside U.S. Special Forces at a base in Kandahar. Multiple reports indicate that he was assigned to CIA-backed commando units during that period and was raised in a devoutly Muslim area.
Before the attack, Lakanwal had resettled in Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and their five young children.
The two wounded D.C. Guardsmen remain in critical condition at two separate local hospitals. The father of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom stated that he believes, with deep sadness, that his daughter will not survive her injuries.
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