On December 2, 2025, prosecutors formally charged 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill while armed, and multiple firearms offenses after an ambush-style attack that left one National Guard member dead and another critically wounded. This is not a routine criminal case — it is a brazen attack on American troops conducting their duty in the nation’s capital, and the state moved quickly to upgrade charges accordingly.
The shooting happened on November 26, 2025, near the Farragut West Metro station just blocks from the White House, when federal officials say the gunman opened fire at point-blank range and then was shot and subdued by other Guardsmen. The young specialist who was murdered, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died on Thanksgiving, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition — a heartbreaking price paid by citizens who answered the call to protect.
According to investigators, Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in 2021 under an overseas resettlement program, lived in Bellingham, Washington, and allegedly drove across the country to carry out this targeted strike. Reports indicate he previously worked with Afghanistan partner forces in units supported by the CIA before coming here, raising ugly questions about the vetting and monitoring that allowed him into our communities.
Make no mistake: this incident is a grim rebuttal to the reckless immigration and resettlement policies that have prioritized virtue signals over the safety of everyday Americans. President Trump and other leaders have called it a terrorist-style attack and demanded a full reexamination of Afghan admissions — demands that are exactly the kind of common-sense scrutiny this moment requires.
Justice must be swift and unflinching. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said federal prosecutors are considering the death penalty if the facts support it, and local judges have ordered the suspect held without bond after an initial court appearance from a hospital bed. Americans deserve to see the full force of law applied when our uniformed citizens are targeted in the streets of the capital.
To those in Washington who shrug at the idea of stronger vetting, stricter oversight, and immediate reforms to the programs that resettled this individual — your indifference has consequences. We should not allow our cities or our troops to become testing grounds for failed policies, and elected officials who enable that failure must answer to voters in plain language.
Our priority now must be supporting the families of the fallen and the recovery of the wounded, demanding thorough investigations, and ensuring this never happens again. Hardworking Americans who wear the uniform deserve protection, and the only honest path forward is to secure our borders, fix vetting, and hold accountable anyone whose decisions put our citizens at risk.
