Authorities charged a former CIA asset with murder and weapons counts Tuesday in the shooting of two National Guard members blocks from the White House.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal was charged with first-degree murder and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the attack, which investigators described as an ambush.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday that Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained in serious condition but had shown signs of improvement. Both were serving in the West Virginia National Guard.
Lakanwal, 29, appeared by video from a hospital, having been seriously wounded himself. He pleaded not guilty through his court-appointed lawyer, and the judge ordered him jailed whenever he is discharged from the hospital.
Lakanwal, a former member of a special CIA unit who fought the Taliban alongside American forces, came to the U.S. in 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, a program designed to support and safely resettle at-risk Afghans. He had been living with his family in the Bellingham area of Washington state and was granted asylum in April.
A community volunteer there confirmed to MS NOW that they sent a January 2024 email, first reported by The Associated Press, detailing a pattern of “dark isolation” and “reckless travel” by Lakanwal.
The volunteer said an email dated Jan. 31, 2024, was forwarded to the nonprofit U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
The organization did not return a message from MS NOW.
The community volunteer, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for their safety, told MS NOW that Lakanwal’s behavior “changed dramatically” between the spring of 2023 and the end of 2023, adding that he became “deeply, deeply withdrawn.”
In the email shared with the nonprofit, the person described “manic episodes for one or two weeks at a time where he will take off in the family car, and drive nonstop” to cities days away, for no apparent reason.
“Не spends most of his time for weeks on end in his darkened bedroom, not speaking to anyone, not even his wife and older kids,” the community volunteer wrote.
In August, despite objections from local officials, Trump called in approximately 2,000 National Guard troops from other states, including about 160 from West Virginia, to the nation’s capital to crack down on what he called “out of control crime.”
The District of Columbia sued the administration, and a federal judge in November ruled the deployment illegal, saying the federal government had exceeded its authority.
The ruling is not set to take effect until Dec. 11, however, to allow for appeal proceedings.
During Monday’s news conference, Morrisey spoke in support of the deployment and said he thinks “the mission has been largely successful.”
Emily Hung contributed to this report.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Akayla Gardner is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.