There is something about an administration serious about law and order that is calming and reassuring. Whatever else you may think of President Trump and his team, they care about protecting citizens and meting out justice when citizens are terrorized.
As such, U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro announced a while ago that the Biblical ‘eye for an eye’ is now official federal policy:
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused of ambushing National Guard members near the White House last November, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a new 17-count federal superseding indictment, one that makes him death penalty eligible.
The superseding indictment, unsealed by the Department of Justice hours before Lakanwal’s court appearance on Tuesday, significantly expands the case against the 30-year-old defendant. U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta arraigned Lakanwal on the new charges. Lakanwal was charged in federal court after the shooting that killed West Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Two additional Guardsmen were wounded in the attack.
According to the DOJ, Lakanwal allegedly drove a Toyota Prius from Bellingham, Washington, to Washington, D.C., while carrying a stolen firearm. Prosecutors say he opened fire without provocation at about 2:13 p.m. on Nov. 26 at 17th and I Streets NW, near the Farragut West Metro Station, just blocks from the White House.
Investigators recovered a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver at the scene. The firearm had been reported stolen in Seattle in 2023. Two National Guard officers who were nearby subdued Lakanwal after the shooting.
Beckstrom, 20, who served in the West Virginia National Guard, died from her injuries on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, the day after the attack. Wolfe, 25, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, survived after suffering life-threatening wounds and continues to recover.
Federal prosecutors have not publicly announced whether they will seek the death penalty, but the new charges involving Beckstrom’s murder are eligible for capital punishment and will trigger a formal review by the Justice Department’s Capital Case Committee. A trial date has not yet been announced.
Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old, serving her country in the nation's capital, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country and executed her in cold blood steps from the White House. That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States. We… https://t.co/tH8cdJixGR
— US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) June 16, 2026
In an announcement, Pirro stated: “Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old, serving her country in the nation’s capital, when Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly drove across the country and executed her in cold blood steps from the White House. That is not just a crime, it is a major offense against the United States. We will pursue every penalty the law permits as we seek justice for Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe.”
One of those penalties is the death penalty, and Pirro is well aware of that.
Granted, Lakanwal was assisting the CIA in his home country hunting Taliban commanders as part of a “Zero Unit.” The Trump administration granted him asylum in 2025. He was living in Washington state with his wife and five kids. It’s unclear why he decided to allegedly steal a gun and use it to kill U.S. military members all the way in D.C.
Not that any of that matters now.
