Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday she will seek the death penalty against the man accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in downtown Washington, D.C., an attack federal officials are now investigating as terrorism.
“Just pray, everyone pray today for these two soldiers,” Bondi said in an appearance on Fox News. She described the alleged gunman as “a monster who should not have been in our country,” and promised her office would pursue capital punishment if either victim dies.
The suspect, Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said those charges could be upgraded to murder if either of the wounded Guard members succumbs to their injuries. Authorities say Lakanwal, a Washington state resident, drove across the country before the attack.
The shooting unfolded around 2:15 p.m. near the Farragut Square Metro Station at 17th and I streets NW. Prosecutors allege Lakanwal approached the two soldiers, identified as 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, in what they called a “targeted attack.” Both were shot, and another Guard member returned fire, wounding the suspect and taking him into custody. All three were hospitalized, with the soldiers in critical condition and undergoing surgery as of Thursday morning.
President Trump condemned the shooting as “an act of terror,” and FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that the case is being investigated as such. Hours later, the Central Intelligence Agency confirmed Lakanwal had previously worked with the agency in Afghanistan as part of a partner force in Kandahar before the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. He entered the United States the same year under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s program for Afghan refugees who worked alongside American personnel during the two-decade war.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, in a statement, acknowledged Lakanwal’s past work with the agency but argued he “should have never been allowed to come here,” citing what he called flawed screening protocols during the chaotic end of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
The political fallout was immediate. Trump ordered a full review of Afghan refugee cases approved after the 2021 evacuation. Shortly afterward, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would halt all immigration processing for Afghan nationals “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Lakanwal was paroled into the country under Biden-era policies and would not have been removed even if his asylum claim had been rejected.
