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.
General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that the alliance remains divided over Ukraine’s potential membership, though he stressed that efforts to secure ...
Uzbekistan has reopened its border with Afghanistan for the first time since 2021, the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on Tuesd...
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 of...
Ukraine has rejected Russian claims that a drone struck the Russian-flagged tanker MIDVOLGA-2 in the Black Sea on Tuesday, calling the accusations ill...
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated General Christopher Gwabin Musa as the country’s new Minister of Defence, marking a key move in h...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, following Trump's call on social media for Israel to continue dialogue with Syria.
Two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded on Wednesday in downtown Washington near the White House in what officials described as a targeted ambush.
U.S. President Donald Trump removed his 40% tariffs on Brazilian food products, including beef, coffee, cocoa and fruits that were imposed in July to punish Brazil over the prosecution of its former president, Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, just two hours after the House of Representatives voted to restore food assistance, pay hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
A four-part docuseries executive produced by Curtis '50 cent' Jackson and directed by Alexandria Stapleton on Netflix is at the centre of controversy online.
Security concerns across Central Asia have intensified rapidly after officials in Dushanbe reported a series of lethal incursions originating from Afghan soil, marking a significant escalation in border violence.
Moscow and Kyiv painted very different pictures of the battlefield on Sunday, each insisting momentum was on their side as the fighting around Pokrovsk intensified.
Russia has claimed a decisive breakthrough in the nearly four-year war, with the Kremlin announcing the total capture of the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk just hours before United States mediators were due to arrive in Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed critical issues surrounding Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, the role of American mediation, and European involvement during a press conference on Monday, reaffirming France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and ensuring peace in the region.
Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell announced on Tuesday that they will donate $6.25 billion to the investment accounts of 25 million U.S. children aged 10 and under.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa held talks in Damascus on Tuesday with representatives from U.S. oil company Chevron to discuss potential joint oil and gas exploration off Syria’s coast, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev has said the government’s resignation is “inevitable” and called for early elections following mass protests over budget policies and allegations of corruption.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday as French unions staged nationwide strikes and demonstrations to press the government on its 2026 budget proposals.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that a new phase of attacks against alleged drug traffickers will target land-based sites and “anybody” involved in the illicit trade.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment