Nationwide Guard capturing suspect charged with homicide, held with out bond

The suspect in final week’s capturing of two Nationwide Guard members in Washington, D.C., has been charged with homicide and assault with intent to kill whereas armed. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was ordered held with out bond throughout an preliminary court docket look Tuesday.

Lakanwal appeared just about from a D.C. hospital, the place he stays after being shot by legislation enforcement after allegedly capturing the 2 Nationwide Guard members, Military Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Drive Employees Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Beckstrom, 20, died of her accidents, and Wolfe stays hospitalized in vital situation.

The Justice of the Peace choose overseeing Tuesday’s preliminary look stated that the federal government’s case was “exceedingly sturdy.”

Based on charging paperwork in District of Columbia Superior Court docket, Lakanwal allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar!” as he fired his gun at Beckstrom and Wolfe. The phrase is Arabic for God is nice. Based on the paperwork, one other Nationwide Guard member fired a service weapon and hit Lakanwal as he was reloading his gun. Lakanwal was additionally charged with possession of a firearm throughout a criminal offense of violence.

Safety footage from the scene of the capturing cited within the prices exhibits Lakanwal standing close to a preferred subway cease positioned close to the scene of the capturing, earlier than “working within the course of the intersection” the place Wolfe and Beckstrom had been strolling.

After hanging each guard members together with his preliminary rounds of photographs, prosecutors allege that Lakanwal tried to chase and shoot at one other Nationwide Guard member close by. In a single screenshot of safety footage, prosecutors allege that Lakanwal bent down subsequent to Beckstrom and Wolfe after capturing them.

Final week, D.C. U.S. Lawyer Jeanine Pirro stated that Lakanwal could be charged with further crimes because the case proceeds: “There shall be no stone left unturned.” Lawyer Common Pam Bondi stated that she is contemplating looking for the loss of life penalty for Lakanwal.

After the capturing, sources instructed CBS Information that Lakanwal served on a CIA-backed operations workforce for about eight years and stated that he suffered from PTSD.

He and his household fled Taliban threats in Afghanistan and had been introduced into the USA in 2021, and his asylum case was authorized earlier this yr. Over the weekend, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem advised he might have “radicalized” after coming to the U.S. Emails obtained by CBS Information additionally point out that Lakanwal’s psychological well being had deteriorated lately and that he had change into remoted and indifferent from his household.

The Trump administration has cited the assault as purpose to additional broaden its ongoing immigration crackdown, halting all visa and immigration processing for Afghan nationals, and ordering a evaluate of inexperienced card instances for immigrants from 19 nations.

Lakanwal’s subsequent court docket look is scheduled for mid-January.