The case, in addition to a recent shooting of two National Guard members near the White House, intensifies scrutiny of the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome.
An Afghan national admitted to the United States under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome has been arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat.
Texas authorities arrested Mohammad Dawood Alokozay on Nov. 25 after he allegedly posted a TikTok video indicating he was constructing an explosive device and threatening to blow up a building in the Fort Worth area, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Alokozay was taken into custody and charged with making terroristic threats, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodging a detainer. The DHS announced the case days after another Afghan parolee allegedly shot two National Guard members near the White House and faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder
“Just one day before the Terrorist attack against our @NationalGuard, another Afghan national who was paroled into the United States under [President Joe] Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome was arrested for threatening to blow up a building in Fort Worth,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a Nov. 29 statement on X, pointing to the Trump administration’s ongoing concerns about individuals resettled through the Afghan parole program.
In a Nov. 29 statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Trump’s predecessor, saying that the “magnitude of the national security crisis Joe Biden unleashed on our country over the span of four years cannot be overstated.” She said President Donald Trump has directed his team “to continue rooting out this evil within our borders.”
The arrest preceded a separate incident on Nov. 26, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who arrived in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, allegedly opened fire on two West Virginia National Guard members just blocks from the White House. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her injuries the following day, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
Lakanwal—who previously worked with multiple U.S. government entities, including the CIA, while serving in a partner force in Kandahar—now faces upgraded charges including first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and firearms offenses.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty, while U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said “many more charges” are expected.
By Tom Ozimek
