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A member of the U.S. National Guard died on Thursday after being shot near the White House in what investigators described as an ambush carried out by an Afghan national, an attack President Donald Trump blamed on failures in Biden-era immigration vetting, as he ordered a sweeping review of asylum cases.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her wounds, while fellow Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life,” Trump said. Authorities said they were conducting a terrorism investigation following Wednesday’s shooting.
The FBI has launched a multi-state inquiry, searching several properties, including a home in Washington state linked to the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who officials said previously served in a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before entering the United States in 2021 under a resettlement scheme.
FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters that agents seized multiple electronic devices, including mobile phones, laptops and tablets, and interviewed members of the suspect’s family.
According to U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro, the suspect drove across the country before allegedly ambushing the National Guard members as they patrolled near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump Cites Immigration Failures
In a Thanksgiving call with U.S. service members, Trump condemned the attack, describing the gunman as a “savage monster” who targeted personnel from the West Virginia National Guard deployed as part of the DC Task Force. He accused the Biden administration of allowing “thousands” of unvetted Afghans into the U.S. during the 2021 withdrawal, though he provided no evidence for the claim.
Trump said the shooting underscored the need for full control over “the people that enter and remain in our country.”
Armed with a .357 Magnum revolver, the gunman shot the two Guardsmen before being wounded in an exchange of fire with other troops, Trump said. He remains in hospital in serious condition.
“My baby girl has passed to glory,” the victim’s father, Gary Beckstrom, wrote on social media, describing the family’s grief. A White House official said Trump spoke by phone to Beckstrom’s parents.
Suspect Believed to Have Acted Alone
Jeff Carroll, executive assistant chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, said the suspect who lived with his wife and five children in Washington state appeared to have acted alone.
Asked whether the suspect’s family might be deported, Trump said: “We’re looking at the whole situation with family.”
More than 70,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under the Operation Allies Welcome programme, which included multiple layers of vetting by counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies. However, critics said the hurried nature of the evacuations limited the effectiveness of background checks.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News the government planned to seek terrorism charges and pursue life imprisonment “at a minimum,” adding that she may push for the death penalty following the Guardswoman’s death.
At a press conference, Patel described the attack as a “heinous act of terrorism,” though neither he nor Pirro suggested a possible motive. Trump repeated their criticism of Biden-era immigration policy, yet no evidence has been presented publicly to support claims of vetting failures.
Government records seen by Reuters show that Lakanwal was granted asylum this year—during Trump’s presidency. Trump did not dispute this, saying asylum cases were difficult to reverse but pledging mass removals.
The attack may bolster Trump’s long-standing argument that both legal and illegal immigration pose security risks. Within hours of the shooting, officials ordered sweeping reviews of asylum cases approved under Biden and of Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
Former CIA Unit Member
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal served with CIA-backed local units in Afghanistan but shared no additional details. The New York Times reported that he belonged to a “Zero Unit,” a paramilitary force trained for night raids and clandestine operations.
According to Homeland Security, Lakanwal entered the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome due to his work with U.S. forces and his fear of Taliban reprisals.
Ratcliffe criticised the programme, saying: “This individual and so many others should have never been allowed to come here.”
A senior Trump administration official said Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved in April, three months after Trump assumed office. He had no known criminal history.
The two Guardsmen were part of a militarised law enforcement mission ordered by Trump in August and challenged in court by Washington, D.C., officials.
