Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two members of the West Virginia National Guard, killing one, in Washington, D.C., has been indicted for murder.
Lakanwal, of Bellingham, Washington, appeared before a judge remotely Tuesday from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered when another National Guard member shot him during the incident.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
US Department of Justice
Lakanwal was wearing a hospital gown and lying in a hospital bed, covered with a blanket, during the remote court appearance.
Through a Pashtu interpreter, Lakanwal was charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with intent to kill and one count of possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to the charges through a court-appointed attorney.
At one point during the hearing, Lakanwal, speaking in Pashtu, said through the interpreter: “I can’t open my eyes, my ear hurts.”
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.
US Department of Justice
“This is a shocking crime that occurred around two in the afternoon, meaning the beginning of rush hour the day before Thanksgiving,” Ariel Dean, an assistant U.S. attorney, said during the hearing.
Lakanwal is accused of shooting the army soldier. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, a member of the West Virginia National Guard, who was “ambushed” while conducting “high-visibility patrols” on Nov. 25 just blocks from the White House, authorities said.
Beckstrom died and Wolfe was seriously injured, authorities said.
New details of the attack emerged Tuesday when authorities revealed a criminal complaint against Lakanwal, a married father of five.
Lakanwal, according to the complaint, shot Beckstrom from behind and was trying to reload after he was shot and just before he was subdued. An autopsy performed by the Washington, D.C. Office of the Medical Examiner determined that Beckstrom was shot in the back of the head, according to the complaint.
Wolfe was also shot in the head during the attack, according to the complaint.
Witnesses told investigators that when Beckstrom and Wolfe fell to the ground after being shot, Lakanwal was heard shouting “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great,” according to the complaint.
People place flowers at a makeshift memorial created after two National Guard members were shot, near the White House, in Washington, DC, on November 28, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Video recovered from the shooting scene allegedly shows Lakanwal opening fire on National Guard members after turning a corner “with his hands raised in a shooting position,” according to the complaint.
The National Guard member who shot Lakanwal reported that the suspect’s firearm, a .357 caliber, appeared. Blacksmith & wesson The revolver was empty and he was trying to reload it, according to the complaint. After Lakanwal was shot, a witness and uniformed Secret Service agents subdued him and took him into custody, according to the complaint.
DC Superior Court Judge Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ruled that Lakanwal will be held without bail until at least January 14.
“It’s pretty clear that he [Lankanwal] He crossed the country 3,000 miles armed and with a specific purpose in mind,” Raymond said during the hearing. “There is video footage of him waiting in broad daylight, and upon seeing a contingent of law enforcement officers, including killed and wounded National Guard members, he headed in their direction. “He started shooting at them.”
The motive for the attack remains under investigation.
Sources previously told ABC News that the FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible act of international terrorism, suggesting authorities are trying to determine whether it may have been inspired by an international terrorist organization. However, authorities have so far not released any specific evidence linking Lakanwal to a terrorist organization, and no terrorism-related charges have been filed.
The suspect previously worked with the US government as a member of an associated force in Kandahar, “which ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” according to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
“This individual, and so many others, should never have been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe said.
In Afghanistan, the suspect was involved with Unit Zero, working closely with the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The suspect was a trusted member of that team, which was pursuing American counterterrorism targets, according to the sources.
The investigation indicates that Lakanwal was under financial pressure because his work permit had expired and that he was experiencing a possible mental health crisis, sources familiar with the investigation. he told ABC News.
Investigators are also looking into whether the recent death of an Afghan commander whom Lakanwal worked with and revered could have negatively affected his mental and emotional health, multiple sources told ABC News.
