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Authorities identified the suspect as Ramanola Lacenwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. Lacenwal entered the United States through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, a large-scale resettlement program launched after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. This program brought over 70,000 Afghan nationals to the U.S., many of whom had worked with U.S. forces and faced Taliban reprisals.
Lacenwal, who reportedly resided in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and five children, had a complex background. Before arriving in the U.S., he was associated with a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, according to officials. Despite his assistance to U.S. forces, he was granted asylum earlier this year, under a Trump-era visa policy.