Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused of ambushing National Guard members near the White House last November, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a new 17-count federal superseding indictment, one that makes him death penalty eligible.
Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old, serving her country in the nation's capital, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country and executed her in cold blood steps from the White House. That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States. We… https://t.co/tH8cdJixGR
— US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) June 16, 2026
Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old, serving her country in the nation's capital, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country and executed her in cold blood steps from the White House. That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States. We will pursue every penalty the law permits as we seek justice for Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.
The superseding indictment, unsealed by the Department of Justice hours before Lakanwal's court appearance on Tuesday, significantly expands the case against the 30-year-old defendant. U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta arraigned Lakanwal on the new charges. Lakanwal was charged in federal court after the shooting that killed West Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Two additional Guardsmen were wounded in the attack.
According to the DOJ, Lakanwal allegedly drove a Toyota Prius from Bellingham, Washington, to Washington, D.C., while carrying a stolen firearm. Prosecutors say he opened fire without provocation at about 2:13 p.m. on Nov. 26 at 17th and I Streets NW, near the Farragut West Metro Station, just blocks from the White House.
Investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver at the scene. The firearm had been reported stolen in Seattle in 2023. Two National Guard officers who were nearby subdued Lakanwal after the shooting.
Beckstrom, 20, who served in the West Virginia National Guard, died from her injuries on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, the day after the attack. Wolfe, 25, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, survived after suffering life-threatening wounds and continues to recover.
Federal prosecutors have not publicly announced whether they will seek the death penalty, but the new charges involving Beckstrom's murder are eligible for capital punishment and will trigger a formal review by the Justice Department's Capital Case Committee. A trial date has not yet been announced.
Read More: Judge in D.C. National Guardsmen Shooting Case Has Bad News for Suspect at Arraignment
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The case carries a significant immigration and national security backdrop. Lakanwal entered the United States after the fall of Afghanistan in 2021. Before that, he had served with a CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary unit known as a "Zero Unit," which hunted Taliban commanders under CIA direction. He was living in Washington with his wife and five children, and was granted asylum in April, during the Trump administration.
Advocates for Afghan refugees have pointed to legal and employment difficulties faced by Zero Unit veterans since arriving in the U.S., and Congress never passed the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, which would have resolved their immigration status while requiring additional security vetting. Former intelligence officials have acknowledged that even extensive vetting cannot guarantee someone will never resort to violence.
None of that context changes what prosecutors allege happened on Nov. 26. An Afghan national drove across the country with a stolen gun and opened fire on National Guardsmen serving near the White House. Beckstrom, 20 years old and serving her country, is dead. The Justice Department now has the power to make Lakanwal answer for it with his life.
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