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  • Justice Department plans to seek death penalty for man accused of shooting National Guard members

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    The Trump administration says it’s now halting all asylum decisions, and the president warns it will last for *** long time. Last week’s shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members patrolling Washington DC left Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf in critical condition and US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom dead. While Beckstrom’s hometown community mourned her death over the holiday. Investigators are searching for *** motive behind the attack. The suspect currently faces *** first. Murder charge. Investigators say the Afghan national entered the US back in 2021 and worked with the CIA before the Trump administration granted him asylum. Now the White House is cutting off that path. The president says he’s pausing all decisions on asylum indefinitely and stopping visas for anyone traveling with an Afghan passport. Does that make sense? You know why we don’t want them? Because many have been no good and they shouldn’t be in our country. The president is also considering halting migration from so-called third world countries. He says the tougher stance is necessary to protect the country. And meanwhile, he’s invited the Beckstrom family to the White House reporting in Washington, I’m Amy Lou.

    Justice Department plans to seek death penalty for man accused of shooting National Guard members

    Updated: 11:34 AM EST Feb 4, 2026

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    The Justice Department said it will seek the death penalty for the man accused of shooting two National Guard members, and killing one of them, near the White House in November.The man, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, pleaded not guilty to the nine charges against him — including first-degree murder — during his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday.When Judge Amit Mehta pressed prosecutors on whether they would be pursuing additional charges that would allow them to seek the death penalty for Lakanwal, prosecutors waffled, eventually telling the judge they are pursuing “death-eligible charges.”According to court documents, Lakanwal traveled from Washington state to the capital city in late November before he ambushed the two officers, shooting them both in the head with a snub-nosed revolver.Another National Guard member, having heard the shots, pulled out his service weapon and shot Lakanwal, who fell to the ground and was quickly detained, court records say.Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members who was shot in the back of the head, was pronounced dead the next day. The other member, Andrew Wolfe, is still in recovery.Lakanwal worked with the CIA for over a decade in Afghanistan before the U.S. military withdrew from the country. He came to the U.S. in 2021.According to court records, Lakanwal had been given the pistol, which prosecutors say was stolen, by an unnamed person after Lakanwal said he needed a firearm to protect himself during his job driving for Uber and Lyft.Investigators say that, at the time, Lakanwal had been banned by Uber and had not been employed for around two months before the shooting.Initially, he wanted a firearm that could hold as much as a 30-round magazine, court documents say, and when given the revolver, asked “only five rounds?”Prosecutors also allege that on the same day that he was given the stolen firearm, Lakanwal went to a sporting goods store and purchased a box of bullets. Two hours later he allegedly searched “Washington, DC” in Google maps and, the next day, searched for the address of the White House.Ten days later he allegedly shot the two National Guards members two blocks from the White House.His next hearing in the case is scheduled for early May.

    WASHINGTON —

    The Justice Department said it will seek the death penalty for the man accused of shooting two National Guard members, and killing one of them, near the White House in November.

    The man, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, pleaded not guilty to the nine charges against him — including first-degree murder — during his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday.

    When Judge Amit Mehta pressed prosecutors on whether they would be pursuing additional charges that would allow them to seek the death penalty for Lakanwal, prosecutors waffled, eventually telling the judge they are pursuing “death-eligible charges.”

    According to court documents, Lakanwal traveled from Washington state to the capital city in late November before he ambushed the two officers, shooting them both in the head with a snub-nosed revolver.

    Another National Guard member, having heard the shots, pulled out his service weapon and shot Lakanwal, who fell to the ground and was quickly detained, court records say.

    Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members who was shot in the back of the head, was pronounced dead the next day. The other member, Andrew Wolfe, is still in recovery.

    Lakanwal worked with the CIA for over a decade in Afghanistan before the U.S. military withdrew from the country. He came to the U.S. in 2021.

    According to court records, Lakanwal had been given the pistol, which prosecutors say was stolen, by an unnamed person after Lakanwal said he needed a firearm to protect himself during his job driving for Uber and Lyft.

    Investigators say that, at the time, Lakanwal had been banned by Uber and had not been employed for around two months before the shooting.

    Initially, he wanted a firearm that could hold as much as a 30-round magazine, court documents say, and when given the revolver, asked “only five rounds?”

    Prosecutors also allege that on the same day that he was given the stolen firearm, Lakanwal went to a sporting goods store and purchased a box of bullets. Two hours later he allegedly searched “Washington, DC” in Google maps and, the next day, searched for the address of the White House.

    Ten days later he allegedly shot the two National Guards members two blocks from the White House.

    His next hearing in the case is scheduled for early May.

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  • Suspect in National Guard shooting indicted with new charges – WTOP News

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    Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of shooting two National Guard members, was indicted Friday on new charges in the U.S. District Court.

    Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of shooting two National Guard members, was indicted Friday on new charges in U.S. District Court.

    The indictment adds two new counts of assault with intent to kill, one count each for National Guardsmen — Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe — who initially worked to subdue Lakanwal at the scene of the Nov. 26 shooting.

    Beckstrom was fatally shot during the incident as Wolfe sustained serious injuries.

    Lakanwal, 29, had already faced multiple charges, including first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed and transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce.

    “We are vigorously pursuing the prosecution of Lakanwal,” said U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro. “Nothing is off the table, and we will continue to weigh additional charges.”

    Court documents say Lakanwal drove his Toyota Prius from his home in Washington state to D.C. On the day of the incident, Lakanwal allegedly opened fire without provocation at 17th and I Streets NW, near the Farragut West Metro Station, shooting Beckstrom and Wolfe in the head.

    Two nearby majors in the National Guard responded immediately and subdued Lakanwal.

    At the scene, investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver that had been reported stolen in Seattle in 2023, according to a release accompanying the indictment.

    The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.

    Who were the National Guardsmen shot?

    Wolfe and Beckstrom were both described as selfless and dedicated, and had been deployed to D.C. as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to bolster public safety in the nation’s capital.

    Wolfe was last reported to be “slowly recovering” from his injuries.

    Originally from Martinsburg, West Virginia, which is about 75 miles northwest of D.C., Wolfe was assigned to the Force Support Squadron, 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.

    He joined the Guard in 2019, the year he graduated from high school.

    Beckstrom, also from West Virginia, enlisted in June 2023 and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.

    She had volunteered to work in the District over the Thanksgiving holiday.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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  • Trump announces death of National Guard member after shooting, ramps up scrutiny of refugees

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    President Donald Trump announced the death of one National Guard member on Thanksgiving and said another is still “fighting for his life.” Police say both soldiers were shot while on patrol down the street from the White House on Wednesday. Trump announced the death of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old from West Virginia, during a call with troops on Thursday night. The White House says the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents later that evening.”She was savagely attacked. She’s dead, not with us. An incredible person, outstanding in every single way, in every department. It’s horrible,” Trump said on the call with troops. The charges against the alleged shooter are now expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder. The Justice Department has also suggested that it will seek the death penalty. “The death penalty is back,” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted Thursday night. FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is also being investigated as an act of terrorism. Authorities say Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in a targeted attack, although a motive has not been revealed. The alleged shooter has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan. “What we know about him is that he drove his vehicle across the country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday morning.The Associated Press reports that Lakanwal was approved for asylum under the Trump administration, but officials say he first entered the country through a Biden administration resettlement program after the U.S. withdrew from the war in Afghanistan. Before arriving in America, Lakanwal worked with the CIA, according to John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director. Ratcliffe said the relationship ended shortly after the evacuation of U.S. service members.”We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday. Asked about the CIA connection and the screening procedures involved with that, President Trump continued to insist that the alleged shooter entered the U.S. unvetted.”He went nuts,” Trump said. “It happens too often with these people.”In a statement, the group #AfghanEvac, which assists with the resettlement process, said Afghan immigrants and wartime allies “undergo some of the most extensive security vetting of any population entering the country.” “This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver said. After the shooting, Trump said his administration would be reviewing every Afghan who entered the country under the Biden administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indefinitely paused processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals, “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.” On Thursday, USCIS also said there would be “a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” Additionally, the agency released new guidance outlining new vetting standards for prospective immigrants from “19 high-risk countries.”Meanwhile, Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric in a social media post just before midnight Thursday, promising to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”Trump said he would terminate what he described as illegal admissions under the Biden administration, end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, and “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” “HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long,” Trump said.

    WASHINGTON —

    President Donald Trump announced the death of one National Guard member on Thanksgiving and said another is still “fighting for his life.” Police say both soldiers were shot while on patrol down the street from the White House on Wednesday.

    Trump announced the death of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old from West Virginia, during a call with troops on Thursday night. The White House says the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents later that evening.

    “She was savagely attacked. She’s dead, not with us. An incredible person, outstanding in every single way, in every department. It’s horrible,” Trump said on the call with troops.

    The charges against the alleged shooter are now expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder. The Justice Department has also suggested that it will seek the death penalty.

    “The death penalty is back,” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted Thursday night.

    FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is also being investigated as an act of terrorism.

    Authorities say Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in a targeted attack, although a motive has not been revealed.

    The alleged shooter has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan.

    “What we know about him is that he drove his vehicle across the country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday morning.

    The Associated Press reports that Lakanwal was approved for asylum under the Trump administration, but officials say he first entered the country through a Biden administration resettlement program after the U.S. withdrew from the war in Afghanistan.

    Before arriving in America, Lakanwal worked with the CIA, according to John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director. Ratcliffe said the relationship ended shortly after the evacuation of U.S. service members.

    “We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday.

    Asked about the CIA connection and the screening procedures involved with that, President Trump continued to insist that the alleged shooter entered the U.S. unvetted.

    “He went nuts,” Trump said. “It happens too often with these people.”

    In a statement, the group #AfghanEvac, which assists with the resettlement process, said Afghan immigrants and wartime allies “undergo some of the most extensive security vetting of any population entering the country.”

    “This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver said.

    After the shooting, Trump said his administration would be reviewing every Afghan who entered the country under the Biden administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indefinitely paused processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals, “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”

    On Thursday, USCIS also said there would be “a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” Additionally, the agency released new guidance outlining new vetting standards for prospective immigrants from “19 high-risk countries.”

    Meanwhile, Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric in a social media post just before midnight Thursday, promising to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”

    Trump said he would terminate what he described as illegal admissions under the Biden administration, end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, and “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.”

    “HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long,” Trump said.

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