The Attorney General of the United States announced that the Trump administration will seek the death penalty for the Afghan national who murdered a National Guard soldier
Pirro explained that, for now, Lakanwal faces three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, in addition to one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The prosecutor added that if either of the soldiers died, the charges would be updated to first-degree murder, which would open the way to formally seek the death penalty.
The Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, reported Thursday that federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan terrorist who shot and killed a National Guard soldier and seriously wounded another in Washington, D.C., the day before Thanksgiving.
The statements were made during a televised interview, in which Bondi stated that the suspect "shouldn't have been in the country", referring to his entry into the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome program, implemented by the Democratic administration of Biden after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The victims, identified as Sarah Beckstrom, 20 years old, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, both from West Virginia, had been sworn into the National Guard less than 24 hours before the attack.
The shooting occurred near the Farragut West metro station, just a few blocks from the White House, around 2:15 p.m., according to the federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, Jeannine Pirro. Both soldiers underwent emergency surgery and remain in critical condition.
Beckstrom's father later stated that his daughter had no chance of survival due to the severity of her injuries, from which she died shortly thereafter.
Federal authorities indicated that the suspect arrived in the United States after the evacuation of Kabul in September 2021. Since the Trump administration, the case has been presented as an example of serious failures in the review and immigration admission processes applied during the Democratic administration, which has allowed the entry of individuals without adequate security screening.
In a message addressed to the nation after the attack, President Donald Trump described the shooting as "an act of hatred, evil, and terror," and expressed solidarity with the families of the soldiers. The president stated that the administration will apply "the full weight of the law" and emphasized that attacks of this kind against military personnel will be treated with maximum severity.
The investigation is ongoing and federal authorities are monitoring the medical progress of the victim who still holds out hope for recovery, while on the other hand, they have expressed great sorrow over Beckstrom's death.
