Afghan national charged with murder; US migration policies under fresh scrutiny by Trump
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – According to media reports on Friday an Afghan man accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members a short distance from the White House is expected to face a first-degree murder charge.
The suspect identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29 years old who came to the US in 2021 under “Operation Allies Welcome,” the Biden-era resettlement effort for Afghan evacuees after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Media reported that a fatal shooting near the White House has led to an Afghan evacuee being charged with first-degree murder.
The attack killed one National Guard member, has sparked renewed political debate as President Trump vows a sweeping pause on migration from “Third World” countries.
US Attorney for Washington, DC, Jeanine Pirro said more charges could be added as investigators build the case.
The authorities initially booked Lakanwal on assault charges, but the shift to first-degree murder significantly changes the legal landscape, with the post noted that it opens the path for a potential death sentence.
The attack took place on Wednesday, just blocks from the White House.
Both National Guard members sustained serious injuries; one of them, Spec. Sarah Beckstrom later died, while the second service member remains hospitalized. Washington D.C., bans capital punishment, but the Attorney General seeks it
US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday that she intends to pursue the death penalty in this case, media reported.
Ms. Pirro move aligned with a position President Donald Trump reiterated this year. Back in August, Trump said his administration would seek capital punishment “in every murder case that occurred in Washington, DC.”
The fact that the suspect entered the US through a humanitarian resettlement programme has intensified the political conversation around immigration.
The shooting left one Guardsman dead and another critically wounded, has prompted renewed scrutiny of security vetting for evacuees.
Trump addressed the incident directly on Friday, using the moment to outline sweeping new restrictions he intends to implement.
He wrote on Truth Social, “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, denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
Law enforcement officials are piecing together the sequence of events that led to the shooting and examining whether additional charges or federal enhancements may apply.
The prosecutors are preparing for a case that could carry the most severe punishments allowed under national security and homicide statutes.
