Afghan National Arrested for Bomb Threat in Texas One Day Before White House Shooting Incident

Alokozay had migrated to the US under the "Operation Allies Welcome" program implemented during the Biden administration.

Washington:

An Afghan national, arrested one day before the White House shooting incident, has been charged at the state level with making a terrorist threat in Texas, according to Fox News reports.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed Fox News that Mohammad Dawood Alokozay was taken into custody on Tuesday after posting a video on TikTok allegedly showing him building a bomb with intentions to target a building in the Fort Worth area of Texas.

Alokozay entered the US through the "Operation Allies Welcome" program during Joe Biden's presidency, following the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Notably, Rahmanullah Lakanwal (29), who faces first-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting two National Guard members near the White House, also migrated to the US in 2021 under the same program.

Alokozay's arrest was a coordinated effort between the Texas Department of Public Safety and an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, as reported by Fox News. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has subsequently placed a detainer on Alokozay following his arrest.

His detention occurred just one day before the Wednesday shooting near the White House that resulted in the death of one National Guard member in Washington, DC. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom has died, while another Guard member remains wounded.

Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused of carrying out the shooting, will face first-degree murder charges, according to the Washington Post. Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, DC, indicated that additional counts will likely follow against suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

The upgraded charges from assault to first-degree murder raise the possibility that the suspected attacker could face the death penalty in this case.

Although capital punishment has been abolished in the District of Columbia, Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on Thursday that she will pursue the death penalty against the individual accused of shooting the two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, as reported by The Hill.

In August, US President Donald Trump asserted that his administration would seek capital punishment in every murder case occurring in Washington, DC.

Meanwhile, Trump announced on Friday that he would permanently pause migration from all "third-world countries" to allow the US system to terminate illegal admissions into the United States.