Justice Department unseals new charges against National Guard shooting suspect
The updated indictment adds death-eligible federal charges as prosecutors weigh capital punishment in the ambush-style attack that killed one Guard member.
- On Tuesday, Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to 17 federal charges, including new counts that make him eligible for the death penalty in the 2025 shooting of National Guard members in Washington.
- Lakanwal, an Afghan national, is accused of the November 26, 2025, ambush near the Farragut West Metro station that killed West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
- A federal grand jury included a "Notice of Special Findings" in the superseding indictment, concluding Lakanwal "intentionally killed" Beckstrom and created a grave risk to others, justifying capital punishment eligibility.
- Justice Department officials stated the Capital Case Committee will determine whether prosecutors formally seek the death penalty, while defense attorneys may present evidence weighing against capital punishment.
- Records show Lakanwal arrived in the United States in 2021 via Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program, following his work with the CIA in Afghanistan.
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Ohio Capital Journal
Man charged in killing of West Virginia guard member pleads not guilty to new charges
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom’s casket is displayed at a funeral home in her hometown of Webster Springs, West Virginia, on Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense) WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice Tuesday issued a new indictment against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of killing one West Virginia National Guard member and wounding another in an attack in the nation’s capital, including six new charges that qualif…
Afghan national accused of killing WV National Guard soldier now faces potential death penalty
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have secured a superseding indictment against the Afghan national accused of fatally shooting a West Virginia National Guard soldier and seriously wounding another Guardsman near the
DOJ considering death penalty for alleged National Guard shooter
WASHINGTON — Prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled federal murder charges against the man charged with opening fire on members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., last year, raising the possibility that the government could seek the death penalty if he is convicted. Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleaded not guilty to similar charges last year and pleaded not […]
Death penalty possible in White House National Guard shooting case
An Afghan national accused of killing a West Virginia National Guard member and wounding three others near the White House last year has been indicted on new charges that could make him eligible for the death penalty, according to federal prosecutors. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 30, was charged Tuesday in a 17-count superseding indictment in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case stems from the Novem…
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