The man accused of shooting two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., on Thanksgiving had his case transferred to federal district court on Wednesday, a move that could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
The criminal complaint filed in the U.S. district court brings gun-related, assault, and murder charges.
"The transfer of the Rahmanullah Lakanwal case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” Jeanine Pirro, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, said. “Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was killed and her parents are now forced to endure the holiday season without their daughter. Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a long road ahead in his recovery.”
The transfer of the Rahmanullah Lakanwal case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here.
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) December 24, 2025
Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was…
Prosecutors are also pursuing further firearms charges, as prosecutors allege Lakanwal attempted to purchase more firearms before traveling from his home in Washington to the District of Columbia to carry out his terror attack.
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The weapon used in the attack was a stolen .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, which Lakanwal purchased two weeks beforehand. He claimed he needed the gun “for protection in his vehicle as a Lyft and Uber driver”; however, the individual who sold him the firearm questioned why he would choose a weapon with a capacity of only five rounds for self-defense. The FBI also revealed that the revolver was stolen from a home prior to Lakanwal purchasing it.
According to the affidavit, Lakanwal also attempted to purchase an AR-15 and a stockless AK-47-style “Draco” pistol. Fortunately, he was unable to acquire either.
The FBI said that the terrorist had “purposely and with deliberate and premeditated malice, killed Beckstrom by shooting her in the head with a firearm” and “by shooting Wolfe in the head with a firearm … assaulted Wolfe with intent to kill him,” according to the seven-page filing.
In response to the terror attack, President Trump deployed an additional 500 National Guard troops to the capital, and vowed stricter immigration measures.
He also implemented an indefinite pause on immigration processing for Afghan nationals, halting asylum, green card, and Special Immigrant Visa applications. This was later expanded to a broader suspension on immigration petitions from 19 high-risk countries previously under travel bans, including Afghanistan and Somalia.
The Afghan immigrant had been admitted into the United States after serving in the U.S. military–backed “Zero Units” in Afghanistan, elite forces tasked with targeting terrorists. He was reportedly screened prior to joining those specialized units and again during Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s program that admitted Afghan refugees following the disastrous U.S. withdrawal, which allowed ISIS to regain control of the country.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Lakandwal was radicalized after entering the United States, not while he still resided in Afghanistan. He is 29 years old, with a wife and five children.
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