Attorney General Pam Bondi has confirmed that prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the Afghan national who shot two members of the West Virginia National Guard in DC on Wednesday.
Bondi vowed that her office will “do everything in our power” to make sure the shooter, 29-year-old Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, pays the ultimate price during an appearance on Fox News on Thursday.
“Just pray, everyone pray today for these two soldiers, these two Guardsman and woman,” Bondi said. “But if something happens, I will tell you right now, I will tell you early, we will do everything in our power to seek the death penalty against that monster who should not have been in our country.”
AG Pam Bondi says she will pursue the death penalty for the Afghan suspect if the two troops do not survive. pic.twitter.com/ria1kju6nL
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 27, 2025
The victims, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, are currently alive and in critical condition, but Beckstrom’s father has said that she is not expected to survive.
Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Sarah Beckstrom, 20, the two National Guards members that are currently fighting for their lives. pic.twitter.com/nsAnQg1qYa
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 27, 2025
The incident, which President Donald Trump has labeled “an act of terror,” unfolded around 2:15 p.m. near the Farragut Square Metro Station.
Lakanwal, a resident of Washington state who drove across the country to carry out the attack, allegedly targeted the Guardsmen in what authorities describe as a deliberate assault.
Lakanwal, who immigrated to the United States in September 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program for Afghan refugees, previously worked with the CIA as part of a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
His involvement with U.S. forces ended shortly after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed his involvement with the agency in a statement, but asserted that he “should have never been allowed to come here.”
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden Withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” Ratcliffe said in a statement to NewsNation.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, during a press conference, announced the current charges against Lakanwal, which include three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, which carry up to 15 years in prison.
Lakanwal will face additional charges if either of the victims does not survive.
In response to the shooting, President Trump has called for a comprehensive review of Afghan refugee cases from the 2021 evacuation, highlighting ongoing concerns about vetting processes under the previous administration.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also halted immigration from Afghanistan indefinitely to reassess security protocols.
The post WATCH: Bondi Confirms Prosecutors Will ‘Do Everything in Our Power’ to Get Death Penalty for Afghan National Who Shot Two Members of West Virginia National Guard appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.