Afghan Suspect Pleads Not Guilty in U.S. National Guard Shooting Case

An Afghan man accused of shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House, killing one, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to murder and related charges.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who was injured during the November 26 attack, entered the plea via video link from a hospital bed, U.S. media reported.

Lakanwal faces first-degree murder charges for the death of 20-year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, along with assault with intent to kill and firearms offenses. Another Guardsman, Andrew Wolfe, also from West Virginia, was critically wounded in the attack.

Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ordered Lakanwal to remain in detention until the next hearing, scheduled for January 14.

Death Penalty Sought

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that she intends to seek the death penalty for Lakanwal. He entered the United States through a resettlement program after the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and had previously been part of a CIA-supported “partner force” fighting the Taliban.

According to a criminal complaint, Lakanwal ambushed Beckstrom and Wolfe during a routine patrol outside a metro station in downtown Washington.

Another National Guard member reported seeing Lakanwal open fire while shouting “Allahu Akbar!” The soldier returned fire, wounding Lakanwal and restraining him as he attempted to reload.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested that Lakanwal may have been radicalized after entering the United States.

Investigators also noted that he allegedly drove across the country to carry out the attack, which shocked the nation just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Following the incident, the Trump administration suspended visas for all Afghan nationals and froze decisions on pending asylum applications.

Lakanwal had been granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration, though officials have criticized the vetting procedures of the previous administration for allowing his entry during the Afghan airlift.

Separately, the Justice Department announced that Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, 30, of Fort Worth, Texas, has been charged with threatening to build a bomb and carry out a suicide attack on Americans.

Alokozay allegedly praised the Taliban and made the threats in a video shared on TikTok, X, and Facebook on November 23.

“Thanks to public reports of a threatening online video, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force apprehended this individual before he could commit an act of violence,” FBI Dallas special agent in charge Joseph Rothrock said.

Alokozay faces up to five years in prison if convicted of making a threatening interstate communication.