National Guard members shot in Washington, DC, attack identified

"US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Thursday named 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe as the West Virginia National Guard members who were shot a day earlier, just blocks from the White House. She said both service members had gone through surgery and were in critical condition. They had been deployed to the US capital as part of what President Donald Trump has described as an anticrime initiative."

"A lone gunman opened fire without provocation, ambush style, armed with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, Pirro told reporters at a news conference. The attacker has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who came to the US in 2021 shortly after the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan. Pirro said Lakanwal was a resident of Washington state and had driven across the country before the attack."

"He has been charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill and possession of a firearm. He remains hospitalised after sustaining wounds that officials said did not appear to be life-threatening. Pirro, a former Fox News host, added the charges could be upgraded if either of the National Guard members do not survive. Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said the attack was being investigated as terrorism and a search warrant has been executed at Lakanwal's home."

Two West Virginia National Guard members, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, were shot near the White House and underwent surgery, both reported in critical condition. They were deployed to Washington as part of an anticrime initiative. A lone gunman opened fire ambush-style with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. The attacker is identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who arrived in the US in 2021 and drove from Washington state before the attack. He faces three counts of assault with intent to kill and firearm possession; charges could be upgraded. The FBI is investigating the incident as terrorism and executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home.

Read at www.aljazeera.com