The man accused of ambushing and shooting two National Guard members in downtown Washington, D.C., last week has been charged with murder and other offences, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, appeared remotely from a hospital bed for his first court appearance, where a judge ordered him held without bond, citing the “sheer terror” of the attack that took place just blocks from the White House.
According to court documents, Lakanwal, an Afghan national, travelled from Washington state to the U.S. capital to carry out the attack. Prosecutors allege he opened fire on two Army National Guard members from West Virginia — Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24 — as they supported local law enforcement under President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown initiative.
Beckstrom was fatally wounded in the assault and died the following day, while Wolfe remains in critical condition.
During the ambush, witnesses said Lakanwal shouted “Allahu akbar!” — meaning “God is Greatest” — before being shot and subdued by a major in the Army National Guard, assisted by other service members and a U.S. Secret Service officer, according to the criminal complaint.
Lakanwal appeared in court wearing a hospital gown and appeared weak, at times struggling to keep his eyes open as a translator relayed the proceedings.
He faces four criminal counts, including first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill while armed.
Authorities said Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under a resettlement programme for Afghans who had assisted U.S. forces during the Afghanistan war. His immigration status has since become a political flashpoint amid President Trump’s renewed calls for stricter border and asylum policies.
The Department of Justice said federal and local investigators are examining Lakanwal’s travel history and potential motives, though officials have not confirmed whether the shooting is being treated as a terrorist act.
The attack has sent shockwaves through the capital and reignited debate over the vetting of Afghan evacuees resettled after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Kabul.
Funeral services for Beckstrom are expected to be held later this week in West Virginia, where she joined the National Guard shortly after graduating high school.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investi...
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricult...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Palestinian statehood and regional security.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment