An Afghan man accused of shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House, killing one, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder. A resident of the western U.S. state of Washington, Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove cross-country to carry out the attack—a shooting that shocked Americans on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday. President Donald Trump’s administration suspended visas for all Afghan nationals following the attack and froze decisions in all asylum cases.
Lakanwal is now charged with first-degree murder following the death of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, a National Guard soldier from West Virginia. He also faces charges for committing firearms offenses, and assault with intent to kill. Andrew Wolfe, another National Guardsman from West Virginia, was wounded in the attack and is in critical condition.
According to a criminal complaint filed on Tuesday, December 2nd, Lakanwal ambushed Beckstrom and Wolfe while they were on a routine patrol outside a metro station in downtown Washington. Another National Guard member who was on the scene was quoted in the complaint as saying that he saw Lakanwal open fire and screamed “Allahu Akbar!”
Lakanwal, 29 who was injured during last month’s attack, entered the plea by video feed from a hospital bed, U.S. media reported.
Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ordered Lakanwal detained until the next hearing in the case on January 14th.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she plans to seek the death penalty for Lakanwal, who entered the United States as part of a resettlement program following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials.
