{"id":2515486,"date":"2025-11-28T12:51:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T17:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guard-shooting-suspect-charged-with-murder-what-to-know\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T12:52:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T17:52:19","slug":"national-guard-shooting-suspect-charged-with-murder-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guard-shooting-suspect-charged-with-murder-what-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder: What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnational-guard-shooting-suspect-charged-with-murder-what-to-know%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2515486&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A 29-year-old Afghan man named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who came to the United States four years ago under Operation Allies Welcome after working with the CIA-backed Zero Unit in Afghanistan, is accused of fatally shooting two National Guard members near the White House.The incident occurred near the Farragut West Metro Station, where he allegedly shot and fatally wounded Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically injured Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Lakanwal reportedly traveled from Washington state to Washington, D.C., intent on killing and was armed at the time. He has been charged with first-degree murder, and prosecutors have indicated more charges may follow, with the death penalty possible.<\/p>\n<p>Lakanwal&#8217;s background includes service in a paramilitary group supported by the CIA,which earned a reputation for ruthlessness during the Afghanistan war.He resettled in Bellingham, Washington, with his family as part of a refugee program under the Biden administration. The shooting has reignited debates about U.S. immigration policies, prompting the Trump administration to announce plans to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-kat-cammack-gop-immigration-policies-should-put-americans-first\/\" title=\"Exclusive--Kat Cammack: GOP ... Should Put Americans First\">tighten immigration restrictions<\/a> and review green card vetting, especially focusing on refugees from countries considered a security concern. the FBI and other agencies are treating the case as a possible act of terrorism, though no official motive has been confirmed. The attack has sparked political controversy,with some Republican officials blaming the Biden administration for immigration decisions related to Afghan refugees.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder: What to know<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2415586\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The 29-year-old man suspected in the shooting of two National Guard members, one of them fatally, near the White House on Wednesday, is an Afghan national who came to the United States four years ago due to his work with the CIA.<\/p>\n<p>Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country from Bellingham, Washington, to the nation&rsquo;s capital with the intent to kill. He was armed and in criminal possession of a weapon, U.S. officials claimed during a Thursday press conference.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3901351\/fbi-sees-dramatic-rise-in-nihilistic-violent-extremism-arrests-this-year\/\">FBI sees dramatic rise in &ldquo;nihilistic violent extremism&rdquo; arrests this year<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3901129\/biden-administration-afghan-refugee-vetting-vows-resurface-dc-attack\/\">Biden administration&#8217;s Afghan refugee vetting vows resurface after DC attack: &#8216;Care to circle back?&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3901080\/bondi-confirms-death-penalty-possible-for-monster-national-guardsmen-shooter\/\">Bondi confirms death penalty possible for &#8216;monster&#8217; National Guardsmen shooter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3901330\/trump-announces-national-guard-soldier-sarah-beckstrom-died-from-her-injuries-after-shooting\/\">died from her injuries<\/a> on Thursday, while&nbsp;Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This combo from photos provided by the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, shows National Guard members, from left, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. (U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;You picked the wrong target, the wrong city, and the wrong country, and you will be sorry for the violence and the evil you perpetrated in our nation&rsquo;s capital,&rdquo; U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said.<\/p>\n<p>The shootings have led the Trump administration <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3901401\/trump-pause-immigration-third-world-countries-shooting\/\">to vow to step up the administration&rsquo;s crackdown<\/a> on immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Here is what the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has learned about Lakanwal, his background, and what the future may hold for him.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-happened\">What happened?<\/h2>\n<p>The shooting took place early Wednesday afternoon, around 2:15 p.m., near the Farragut West Metro Station entrance, located a few blocks from the White House.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities said Lakanwal used a .357 revolver to shoot Beckstrom and Wolfe, both from the West Virginia National Guard, in the head. Lakanwal was injured after being shot by other National Guard members and is currently being treated at a D.C. hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Pirro said he opened fire &ldquo;without provocation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;One guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again,&rdquo; Pirro said. &ldquo;Another guardsman is struck several times.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-is-rahmanullah-lakanwal\">Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? <\/h2>\n<p>Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan man who is accused of shooting two National Guard members. Lakanwal is among the thousands of Afghans who came to the United States after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. President Donald Trump has criticized America&rsquo;s refugee intake programs and has vowed to shut them down in the wake of Wednesday&rsquo;s shootings.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This photo provided by the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, shows Rahmanullah Lakanwal. (U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-charges\">Charges<\/h2>\n<p>Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder, Pirro&rsquo;s office said Friday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In light of Beckstrom&rsquo;s death, the charge upgrades to murder in the first degree,&rdquo; a statement read.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pirro also told <em>Fox News<\/em> on Friday that there would be &ldquo;many more charges to come,&rdquo; though she did not say what they might be.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pam-bondi\">Pam Bondi<\/a>&nbsp;said Thursday that Lakanwal could receive the death penalty.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cia-ties\">CIA ties<\/h2>\n<p>Lakanwal was part of the Zero Unit during the war in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n<p>Zero Unit was an anti-Taliban Afghan paramilitary force that was trained, funded, and supported by the CIA. They conducted night raids and carried out missions across the country.<\/p>\n<p>The Zero Unit had a reputation for ruthlessness. Journalists covering the war and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >human rights groups referred<\/a> to its members as &ldquo;death squads.&rdquo; &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lakanwal was stationed in Kandahar.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lakanwal-operation-allies-welcome-and-green-card-scrutiny\">Lakanwal, Operation Allies Welcome, and green card scrutiny<\/h2>\n<p>Lakanwal, who grew up in the Khost province, located in southeastern Afghanistan, moved to America in September 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, an Afghan resettlement program during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>He has been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/archive\/operation-allies-welcome\">Operation Allies Welcome<\/a> allowed certain Afghan nationals to remain in the United States for a period of two years. It was not a guaranteed path to permanent immigration and required recipients to find other ways to gain legal status.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More than 800 Afghan refugees have settled in Washington, the Immigrant and Refugee Health Alliance, which is based in the state, said.<\/p>\n<p>After Lakanwal&rsquo;s immigration status was leaked, Joe Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced he was ordering a review of &ldquo;every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.&rdquo; It is unclear what countries are on that list. The Trump administration also announced plans on Thursday to make it much more difficult for immigrants from countries banned from traveling to the U.S. and getting green cards.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Joe Biden rushed tens of thousands of Afghans into our nation. Today, we faced horrible consequences for this. I call on Secretary Kristi Noem to immediately locate and vet all of the Afghans let in by Joe Biden as part of &#8220;Operation Allies Welcome.&#8221; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Pi9QTwoI5h\">https:\/\/t.co\/Pi9QTwoI5h<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenatorBanks\/status\/1993844537081647444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), a Navy veteran, has demanded on social media that all Afghan refugees should be vetted again, placing blame on former President Joe Biden&rsquo;s administration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Although some Republicans are blaming Biden, the Trump administration granted Lakanwal asylum in April.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-possible-motivation\">Possible motivation <\/h2>\n<p>No motive has been publicly confirmed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While investigators have classified the shootings as a &ldquo;targeted attack&rsquo; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are treating it as a possible act of terrorism, no clear motive has yet been established.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3901401\/trump-pause-immigration-third-world-countries-shooting\/\"><strong>TRUMP SAYS HE WILL PAUSE IMMIGRATION FROM &lsquo;THIRD-WORLD COUNTRIES&rsquo; AFTER SHOOTING<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Relatives of Lackanwal have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putin-unaware-of-facts-on-ground-in-ukraine-us-official-says\/\" title=\"Putin Unaware of Facts on Ground in Ukraine, US Offi...l Says\">told multiple news outlets<\/a> that they were in shock upon hearing the news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Guard shooting suspect charged with murder: Key facts<br \/>\nRahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan who came to the U.S. four years ago due to CIA work, is accused of fatally shooting two National Guard members near the White House<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2515487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/national-guard-shooter-and-victim-e1764350821469.jpg?1764332829&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[37479,4300,4230],"class_list":["post-2515486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-national-guard","tag-shooting","tag-suspect"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/national-guard-shooter-and-victim-e1764350821469.jpg?1764332829&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2515486"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2515490,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2515486\/revisions\/2515490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2515487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2515486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2515486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2515486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}