U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man accused of attacking two National Guardsmen shot in the nation’s capital the day before Thanksgiving.
Bondi made officials’ intentions in the case clear while speaking during an interview on Fox News about the suspect identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the New York Post reported Thursday.
“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,” she said.
Bondi appeared to clarify that “if something happens” to the guardsmen, who remain in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery, prosecutors will seek the death penalty, per Breitbart News.
The victims were identified as 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe who are both from West Virginia and were in Washington, DC, when the attack happened.
Breitbart News reported U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeannine Pirro’s announcement that offered more information about the suspect and his background:
The suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who is from Afghanistan and entered the United States under former President Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome in September 2021 after the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, opened fire on the Guardsmen near the Farragut West Metro Station, just blocks northwest of the White House, at around 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time, Pirro said.
Pirro also said charges against the suspect depended on the condition of the victims.
“Currently, the appropriate charges are three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and a charge of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, but if either of the Guardsmen does not survive, he will face first-degree murder charges, according to the U.S. attorney,” the Breitbart News article read.
Beckstrom’s father has revealed she is not likely to survive her injuries, telling the New York Times, “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
It is important to note the two soldiers had been sworn in less than 24 hours before they were attacked.
In his address to the nation following the violence, President Donald Trump said, “This heinous assault was an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity. Americans tonight are with those two West Virginian National Guard and their families.”
