Prosecutors reportedly said they will seek the death penalty against the man accused of shooting two National Guardmen in 2025, killing one of them, in court documents filed Tuesday.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal appeared in federal court amid a new court filing, in which he faces 17 counts, according to the New York Post (NYP). Prosecutors alleged that he shot West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom fatally and seriously hurt U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe on Nov. 26, 2026. The new charges reportedly include armed premeditated murder in the first degree of a National Guard member, attempted murder of three more, assault with intent to kill, transporting a firearm across state lines to commit a felony and discharging a firearm amid a crime of violence.
U.S. prosecutors argued some of the counts make Lakanwal eligible for the death penalty if found guilty. The accused issued a not guilty plea to all counts, the NYP reported.
Prosecutors previously told the judge they planned to pursue “death-eligible charges,” CNN reported in February 2026.
Prosecutors seek death penalty for DC National Guard shooter – as he appears wild-eyed in court https://t.co/PvM9TPaICV pic.twitter.com/DfojjeHgB5
— New York Post (@nypost) June 16, 2026
The Trump administration identified Lakanwal as an Afghan national who came into the U.S. in 2021, according to CBS News. He served as an Afghan special forces leader and supported the U.S. and Britain in the war with Afghanistan, a former military colleague said.
A source alleged the suspect shouted “Allahu akbar!” during the incident, journalist Julio Rosas said in a post shared on X. A guardsman stabbed the suspect with a pocket knife while another responded to the shooting and shot the suspect multiple times, according to the source. He shouted “Allahu akbar” while firing and reloading after a guardsman shot an injured him, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the BBC. (RELATED: Suspect Allegedly Strikes ICE Agent With Car While Fleeing Arrest)
Beckstrom was posthumously awarded West Virginia’s Distinguished Service Medal in March 2026, according to FOX 5 DC. On Feb. 24, President Donald Trump announced that Wolfe was receiving the Purple Heart at the 2026 State of the Union address.
Lakanwal allegedly drove from Washington state to the U.S. capital to carry out the shooting, the NYP reported. He initially faced murder, assault and gun charges, none of which carried the death penalty.
The Daily Caller reached out to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for comment.