From ABC News: Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, in Washington, D.C., has been formally charged with murder.
Lakanwal, of Bellingham, Washington, appeared before a judge remotely on Tuesday from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered when another National Guard member shot him during the incident.
Lakanwal was wearing a hospital gown and was lying in a hospital bed, covered in a blanket, during the remote court appearance.
Through a Pashtu interpreter, Lakanwal was charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with the intent to kill, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The report notes that Lakanwal pleaded “not guilty” during the proceedings, and at one point, complained through the interpreter, “I cannot open my eyes, I have pain in my ear.”
Lakanwal, 29, is married and already has 5 children. He has been living in Washington state with his family, and reportedly drove clear across the country last week to Washington, D.C., where he opened fired on members of the National Guard on Wednesday. He is charged with shooting Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, members of the West Virginia National Guard, just blocks away from the White House.
As the two National Guard members fell to the ground after Lakanwal shot them, he was heard shouting “Allahu Akbar!”
Beckstrom died the next day, and Wolfe is still fighting for his life.
BREAKING: The 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, in Washington, D.C., has been formally charged with murder. https://t.co/My3s4RpWey pic.twitter.com/0wFilFxhDX
— ABC News (@ABC) December 2, 2025
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro spoke to reporters Tuesday after Lakanwal was charged, and said there will be a preliminary hearing on January 14.
FULL GAGGLE: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro speaks to reporters after the court appearance of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the deadly shooting of National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/MEi0oYwH0N
— Forbes Breaking News (@ForbesTVNews) December 2, 2025
According to court documents, Lakanwal drove from his hometown in the state of Washington to Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, November 26, Lakanwal arrived at about 2:13 p.m., at 17th and I Streets, NW, near Farragut West Metro Station, and opened fire on two National Guard members… pic.twitter.com/NdsQ7hzODi
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) December 2, 2025
READ MORE fromABC News.
Also on Tuesday, another Afghan refugee, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, 30, was formally charged after he posted a TikTok video touting that he was building a car bomb to blow up a building in the Fort Worth area.
Alokozay was arrested just one day before Lakanwal committed his attack in D.C. last Wednesday. BOTH men had been brought to the United States by the Biden administration after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. The two were allowed into the US under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome program.
NEWS ALERT: Afghan Citizen Federally Charged for Posting Threats to Build Bomb and Kill Americans
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