WASHINGTON: Just one day before the terrorist attack against National Guard soldiers in the nation’s capital, another Afghan citizen, permitted to enter the United States under President Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” was arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, for threatening to blow up a building, it was learned on Saturday.
Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X that the suspect, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, had uploaded a video to TikTok showing himself assembling what he suggested was an explosive device. She said the video indicated the Fort Worth area was their intended target.
Alokozay was arrested Tuesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and charged with making terroristic threats.
The arrest came less than 24 hours before the violent attack in Washington in which another Afghan citizen, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot and seriously wounded two members of the US National Guard. Lakanwal, who had been in the United States for more than a year, opened fire during a routine patrol near a residential neighborhood not far from the Capitol. Authorities described the shooting as a deliberate act of terrorism. He was arrested shortly after.
The suspect uploaded a video to social media showing himself assembling an ‘explosive device’
The two consecutive incidents involving Afghan nationals have added urgency to President Donald Trump’s new immigration actions. The president has already announced a “reverse migration” initiative aimed at expelling immigrants who “do not belong here or do not bring any benefit to our country.” He also ordered federal agencies to conduct stricter security reviews of Afghans who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome, calling for a reevaluation of their status on a case-by-case basis.
Trump has promised a permanent halt to migration from all third world countries and has ordered his administration to reexamine all humanitarian, parole and refugee programs created during the Biden years. More directives are expected as agencies expand their scrutiny of newcomers.
Published in Dawn, November 30, 2025
