Washington, DC [US], November 29 (ANI): The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House will be charged with first-degree murder, the Washington Post reported.
Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for Washington, DC, said additional charges are likely to follow against the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who migrated from Afghanistan in 2021 under “Operation Allies Welcome” during Joe Biden’s tenure following the chaotic withdrawal of US forces.
According to the Washington Post, the upgraded charge of first-degree murder, instead of the initial assault charge, raises the possibility that the suspected attacker could face the death penalty.
The shooting, which occurred Wednesday just blocks from the White House, left two National Guard members severely injured. One of them, Spec. Sarah Beckstrom, has died, while the other remains hospitalized.
Although capital punishment has been abolished in the District of Columbia, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday she will seek the death penalty against the man accused of shooting the two West Virginia National Guard members, the Hill reported.
In August, US President Donald Trump stated that his administration would seek capital punishment in every murder case that occurred in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, Trump on Friday said he would permanently pause migration from all “third-world countries” to allow the US system to address what he described as illegal admissions into the United States.
His remarks followed the shooting of the two National Guard members by an Afghan national, an incident that resulted in one death and left the other critically injured.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our country, end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our country, denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western civilization.” (ANI)
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