Noem Says ICE Has Arrested Another Afghan Terrorist in U.S.
Federal immigration officials arrested a man allegedly tied to the terrorist group responsible for the deadly 2021 bombing at Kabul airport that killed 13 American service members during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Jaan Shah Safi on Wednesday in Waynesboro, Virginia, roughly 100 miles from Washington, D.C. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Safi is affiliated with ISIS-K, the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem linked Safi’s entry to President Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which resettled tens of thousands of Afghans in the United States.
“The Biden administration brought this terrorist into the U.S. under the disastrous Operation Allies Welcome program,” Noem said in a statement. “This terrorist was arrested miles from our nation’s capital where our brave National Guard heroes, Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe, were shot just days ago by another unvetted Afghan terrorist brought into our country.”
Noem called the situation “one of the worst national security crises in American history” and blamed the Biden administration for allowing nearly 190,000 Afghan nationals into the country without proper vetting.
“Biden let into our country nearly 190,000 unvetted Afghan aliens—only determining who they were and their intentions when they were already on American soil,” Noem said. “President Trump has been working every day since January 20 to clean up this unmitigated national security crisis.”
ISIS-K was behind the August 26, 2021, suicide bombing outside Kabul’s Abbey Gate, which killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghan civilians.
Safi’s arrest is the third in recent days involving Afghans who entered the country following the U.S. withdrawal. On November 26, law enforcement arrested Rahmanullah Lakanwal in Washington, D.C., after he allegedly shot two National Guardsmen, killing Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injuring Andrew Wolfe.
One day earlier, officials in Texas arrested Mohammad Dawood Alokozay on charges of making terroristic threats after he allegedly posted a video threatening a suicide bombing.