Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleads not guilty in US National Guard shooting

The man who is accused of shooting two National Guard members in an assault in Washington, DC, the capital, has entered a not-guilty plea to first-degree murder and assault.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, struggled to keep his eyes open during his first court appearance on Tuesday, when he made an appearance remotely from a hospital bed while wearing a hospital gown. Lakanwal was shot in the head as well, and his defense obtained a not-guilty verdict.

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According to a judge in Washington, the shooting on Wednesday “sheer terror” in the nation’s capital and placed a warrant for Lakanwal’s release on bond. He formerly served with a CIA-trained unit in his native Afghanistan during US occupation.

The attack targeted two National Guard members as part of a countercrime operation that the Trump administration had deployed to Washington, DC.

Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old specialist, was killed in the shooting, which Republicans quickly used to call for tighter immigration controls. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, a 24, was also hurt in the incident.

According to the prosecution, Lakanwal allegedly travelled from Washington, D.C., to Washington, DC, where he carried out the deadly attack and yelled “Allahu akbar!” (God is greatest) as he opened fire.

After the US-backed government collapsed in 2021, Lakanwal, who had been evacuated from Afghanistan, had become increasingly uncertain about the course of his life, becoming distant, and causing associates to worry about his mental state.

In a recent interview, Shawn VanDiver, president of the organization Afghan Evac, said that “they]the Trump administration seem to be using this horrifying attack as a political cudgel to carry out the vile immigration plans that they had anyway.