Afghan national yelled ‘Allahu akbar!’ during National Guard shooting: docs
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Afghan citizen accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington DC shouted “Allahu akbar!” he shouted. Federal prosecutors said he was hit with counterfire during the attack and was subdued by a witness.
The details emerged when 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal made his first appearance at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. He appeared from a distance from a hospital bed.
Lakanwal’s lawyer said his client pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with intent to kill, one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
In court documents, prosecutors said Lakanwal, of Bellingham, Washington, traveled across the United States to Washington, D.C., armed with a .357-caliber handgun. Washington Post. He then opened fire on Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe near the Farragut West Metro station on Nov. 26 after surveying the National Guard contingent for about a minute, the newspaper added, citing documents.
A NEW VIDEO HAS EMERGED ABOUT THE SHOOTING OF DC NATIONAL GUARDS WHILE THE SOLDIER SURVIVED
Screenshots show National Guard members scrambling for cover and returning fire during an ambush near the Farragut West Metro station in Washington, D.C., on November 26 (Taken from Wall Street Journal)
Prosecutors said in the documents that while a National Guard chief was talking to Beckstrom and Wolfe, he saw Lakanwal “shooting a gun and yelling ‘Allahu Akbar'” as they both collapsed to the ground.
The chief then responded by shooting at Lakanwal, and a witness “jumped on top of” Lakanwal as he tried to reload his gun, according to court documents, according to the Post. The suspect was eventually neutralized and taken into custody.
An undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. (provided by the Ministry of Justice)
At one point during Tuesday’s hearing, Lakanwal said through his translator, “I can’t open my eyes. My groin hurts…”
D.C. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond interrupted him at this point and said the defense attorney didn’t want Lakanwal to say anything.
D.C. NATIONAL CONTROL OFFICIALLY SENTENCED SHOOTING SUSPECT
Raymond ordered Lakanwal detained without bail pending further court proceedings.
Wolfe, 24, was injured and continues to fight for his life. 20-year-old Beckstrom was killed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department intends to seek the death penalty.
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday. Beckstrom died in the hospital on Thursday. (United States Attorney for the District of Columbia/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Lakanwal entered the United States legally in September 2021 as part of Operation Welcome Allies, the Biden administration’s Afghan evacuation and resettlement program.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace, Jake Gibson, Jasmine Baehr, David Spunt, William Mears and Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
