Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, in Washington, D.C., has been formally charged with murder.
Lakanwal, of Bellingham, Washington, appeared before a judge remotely on Tuesday from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered when another National Guard member shot him during the incident.
Andrew Wolfe, 24, members of the West Virginia National Guard, who were “ambushed” while conducting “high visibility patrols” on Nov. 25 just blocks from the White House, authorities said.
Lakanwal, according to the complaint, shot Beckstrom from behind and was trying to reload after he was shot and just before he was subdued.
“There’s video footage of him waiting in broad daylight, and that upon seeing a contingent of law enforcement officers, including the slain and injured National Guard persons, he went in their direction.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, in Washington, DdotC. , has been formally charged with murder.
Lakanwal, of Bellingham, Washington, appeared before a judge remotely on Tuesday from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered when another National Guard member shot him during the incident.
Lakanwal was wearing a hospital gown and was lying in a hospital bed, covered in a blanket, during the remote court appearance.
Through a Pashtu interpreter, Lakanwal was charged with one count of murder, two counts of assault with the intent to kill, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
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 cannot open my eyes, I have pain in my ear. A “.
“This is a startling crime that occurred the day before Thanksgiving at around two in the afternoon, which is the start of rush hour,” Ariel Dean, an assistant U.S. S. attorney, said during the hearing.
Lakanwal is accused of shooting Army Spc. Beckstrom, Sarah, 20, and U. S. Sergeant in the Air Force. Andrew Wolfe, 24, members of the West Virginia National Guard, who were “ambushed” while conducting “high visibility patrols” on Nov. 25 just blocks from the White House, authorities said.
Beckstrom was killed and Wolfe was critically injured, authorities said.
When authorities unsealed a criminal complaint against Lakanwal, a married father of five children, new information about the attack surfaced on Tuesday.
The complaint states that Lakanwal shot Beckstrom from behind and attempted to reload just before he was subdued. An autopsy by the Washington, DdotC. , Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Beckstrom was shot once in the back of the head, according to the complaint.
The complaint claims that Wolfe was also shot in the head during the assault.
Witnesses told investigators that as 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.
Video recovered from the scene of the shooting allegedly shows Lakanwal opening fire on the National Guard members after coming around a corner “with his hands raised in a firing stance,” according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, the National Guard member who shot Lakanwal claimed that the suspect was trying to reload his .357 Smith and Wesson revolver, which appeared to be empty. After Lakanwal was shot, a witness and uniformed Secret Service officers subdued him and brought him into custody, the complaint said.
(D). C. Superior Court Judge Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ruled that Lakanwal be held without bond until at least Jan. Fourteen.
During the hearing, Raymond stated, “It is fairly clear that he [Lankanwal] came across the country 3,000 miles armed and with a specific purpose in mind.”. “There’s video footage of him waiting in broad daylight, and that upon seeing a contingent of law enforcement officers, including the slain and injured National Guard persons, he went in their direction. He started shooting at them. A “.
A motive for the attack remains under investigation.
Sources previously told ABC News that the FBI is investigating the shooting as a potential act of international terrorism, suggesting authorities are trying to determine if it may have been inspired by an international terrorist organization. Thus far, however, authorities have not publicly released any specific evidence tying Lakanwal to a terrorist organization, and no terrorism-related charges have been filed.
The suspect previously worked with the U. S. government as a member of a partner 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 have never been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe said.
According to people familiar with the investigation, the suspect was part of the Zero Unit in Afghanistan and collaborated closely with the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command. The suspect was a trusted member of that team, which went after U. S. targets for counterterrorism, sources claim.
The investigation indicates Lakanwal was under financial stress because his work permit had expired, and that he was experiencing a possible mental health crisis, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
Investigators are also looking into whether the recent death of an Afghan commander with whom Lakanwal worked and whom he revered might have negatively affected his mental and emotional health, multiple sources told ABC News.
