Suspect in deadly shooting of National Guard troops pleads not guilty to
new charges
[June 17, 2026]
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON
(AP) — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the
White House, killing one of them, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to
charges in a new indictment that make him eligible for a possible death
sentence if he is convicted.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, was arraigned on 17 counts,
including first-degree murder, in the new indictment handed up by a
federal grand jury in Washington. Lakanwal originally pleaded not guilty
in January to nine charges in the November 2025 shooting that killed Spc.
Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. |
This courtroom sketch depicts Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, seated left,
with defense attorney Michelle Peterson, seated foreground, before U.S.
District Judge Amit Mehta, Feb. 4, 2025 at Federal Court in Washington,
as Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice speaks at the podium.
(Dana Verkouteren via AP) |
|
Before the Justice Department announces whether it will seek the
death penalty against Lakanwal, his defense attorneys can meet
with prosecutors and present any evidence that they believe
weighs against a death sentence.
Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were deployed with the West
Virginia National Guard for the federal law-enforcement surge
that began in August in Washington, D.C., at the direction of
President Donald Trump.
Lakanwal is accused of driving to the nation’s capital from
Bellingham, Washington, while in possession of a stolen firearm
and ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station
three blocks from the White House.
Another National Guard member heard gunshots and saw Beckstrom
and Wolfe fall to the ground as Lakanwal fired a gun and
screamed, “Allahu Akbar!” according to a police report.
Lakanwal, who was shot during the confrontation, was seated in a
wheelchair during his arraignment on Tuesday. He didn't speak
during the hearing; one of his attorneys entered a not guilty
plea on his behalf.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 through a Biden administration
program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of
Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country. Lakanwal
worked with the American government, including the CIA, “as a
member of a partner force” in Kandahar, Afghanistan, CIA
Director John Ratcliffe has said.
Lakanwal is due back in court Sept. 16. A trial date for his
case hasn't been scheduled yet.
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