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A daytime attack on two members of the West Virginia National Guard in central Washington DC has left one soldier dead and the other fighting for his life and has ignited a national debate over security immigration and the use of military personnel inside the United States. The shooting took place on the afternoon of November 26 2025 near Farragut Square only a short walk from the White House in what officials describe as a targeted ambush on troops assigned to a security mission in the capital.
According to federal and local authorities the two victims are Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom age twenty from the West Virginia Army National Guard and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe age twenty four from the West Virginia Air National Guard. They had been deployed to Washington as part of an ongoing National Guard presence that the Trump administration justified as a response to crime and public order concerns.
Witnesses reported hearing a burst of gunfire near the Farragut West Metro station shortly after two fifteen in the afternoon. Both Guard members were struck in the head and collapsed on the sidewalk as bystanders took cover and officers rushed toward the scene.
The victims and their condition
Specialist Beckstrom who joined the Guard in 2023 and served with the 863rd Military Police Company of the 111th Engineer Brigade was initially reported to be in critical condition. On November 27 President Donald Trump announced that she had died of her injuries describing her as a highly respected young soldier with an outstanding record of service.
Staff Sergeant Wolfe a member of the 167th Airlift Wing Force Support Squadron remains in critical condition after surgery. Officials say he is fighting for his life and that his condition changes hour by hour. Leaders of the West Virginia National Guard and state officials have urged the public to keep his family and unit in their thoughts as they wait for updates.
The West Virginia National Guard has described both soldiers as dedicated young service members who had only recently been sworn in for this particular mission in the nations capital.
The suspect and his background
Federal prosecutors have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal age twenty nine an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in 2021 under the relocation effort known as Operation Allies Welcome after the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Investigators say Lakanwal previously worked with United States government entities overseas including a Central Intelligence Agency backed partner force in Kandahar sometimes referred to as a Zero Unit. The Central Intelligence Agency has confirmed that he was part of a force that carried out counterterrorism operations alongside United States and British personnel during the conflict in Afghanistan.
Officials believe Lakanwal traveled from the state of Washington to the capital in the days before the attack and carefully studied the Guard patrol routine near the White House area before carrying out the shooting.
Law enforcement officers at the scene shot and wounded the suspect before taking him into custody. He is now being held under tight security at a federal facility while he receives medical treatment and undergoes questioning.
Charges and the terrorism investigation
Lakanwal currently faces several federal counts including assault with intent to kill and firearm offenses related to a crime of violence. After the death of Specialist Beckstrom prosecutors have said they intend to add a murder charge and may pursue first degree murder in connection with what they describe as a planned ambush on uniformed military personnel.
United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel have both referred to the shooting as an act of terrorism. They have announced a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense to examine Lakanwals motives his travel history his digital communications and any possible associates either in the United States or abroad.
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe has acknowledged that Lakanwals past service with a United States backed unit in Afghanistan complicates the picture and raises questions about how he was screened before being resettled in the United States.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled that the Justice Department is prepared to seek the federal death penalty if the evidence supports that course and if the case meets statutory requirements for a capital terrorism prosecution.
Response from the White House and federal agencies
President Trump has condemned the shooting as an act of evil and an act of terror and has directly tied the attack to broader arguments about immigration and refugee policy. He has repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for admitting Lakanwal under the Afghan resettlement program and has argued that screening was insufficient.
In a nationally televised address and in subsequent remarks the president announced several steps. He has ordered an additional deployment of National Guard troops to Washington despite an ongoing legal dispute in which a federal judge had previously ordered the drawdown of the Guard mission in the city and then delayed enforcement to allow appeals. He has also directed the Department of Homeland Security and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause Afghan immigration processing and to conduct an exhaustive review of cases approved during and after the 2021 evacuation.
Senior administration officials have framed these moves as necessary to protect national security and to prevent similar attacks on military personnel and law enforcement officers in the future. Critics argue that the response risks treating an entire refugee population as suspect based on the actions of one individual.
Concerns about backlash and community impact
Refugee organizations veterans groups and some lawmakers have voiced deep concern that the shooting could trigger a wave of suspicion and harassment directed at Afghan refugees and at Muslim communities more broadly. Advocates point out that tens of thousands of Afghans who came to the United States after working alongside American forces did so at great personal risk and have successfully resettled in communities across the country.
Groups working with recent arrivals say they are already seeing anxiety rise. Some families worry that neighbors or employers will look at them differently that children will face taunts in school or that peaceful community members will become targets for threats and hate crimes. Human rights experts and the United Nations special rapporteur on Afghanistan have urged United States leaders to focus responsibility on the individual suspect and to avoid collective punishment of Afghan refugees or asylum seekers.
Debate over the Guard mission in Washington
The attack has also sharpened debate over why National Guard troops were patrolling downtown Washington in the first place. The deployment stems from a Trump administration declaration of a crime emergency in the capital which brought federal law enforcement officers and Guard units into the city over the objections of many local officials and civil liberties advocates.
Supporters of the mission argue that the visible presence of uniformed personnel helps deter violent crime and protect federal buildings at a time of increased tension. Opponents counter that the presence of troops on city streets blurs the line between civilian law enforcement and military power and exposes young service members to risks that resemble a war zone even though they are standing on American soil. The ambush near Farragut Square has given that argument new urgency as critics ask whether different security arrangements could have reduced the danger to the Guard patrol.
What comes next
In the days ahead investigators are expected to focus on several questions. They will examine whether Lakanwal had any direct ties to extremist groups or was inspired by online propaganda whether he acted entirely alone and what exactly led him to target the two Guard members on that particular afternoon. Digital forensics teams are reviewing his phones and computers while agents interview former colleagues from his time with United States backed forces in Afghanistan and acquaintances from his life in the United States.
On the legal front prosecutors will present evidence to a grand jury in Washington and move to upgrade charges now that Specialist Beckstrom has died. If Staff Sergeant Wolfe survives his testimony could become central to any eventual trial. If he does not the case will likely proceed as a double homicide with terrorism related enhancements.
For the families of the victims and for the West Virginia National Guard the focus remains on mourning and on hoping for Wolfe to recover. Vigils and memorial events are being planned both in Washington and in the soldiers home communities where residents describe them as hardworking down to earth and proud to serve.
Across the country the shooting has become a flashpoint in larger arguments about immigration national security and the responsibilities of the United States toward those who fought alongside American forces overseas. How leaders choose to answer those questions in the aftermath of this tragedy will shape policy long after the crime scene tape has been removed from a corner of downtown Washington.