US EditionAccused National Guard shooter pleaded not guilty to charges at first court appearance from the hospital
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, charged with murder and multiple firearm offenses, pleaded not guilty while hospitalized; one National Guard member died and another remains critically injured.
- On Dec. 2, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, pleaded not guilty during a virtual D.C. Superior Court appearance to first-degree murder and related firearm counts.
- Travel records and charging papers show Lakanwal drove about 3,000 miles and staked out near Farragut West metro station before opening fire; he served in the CIA-backed 'Zero Unit' and entered via Operation Allies Welcome.
- A Guardsman named Reynolds engaged the shooter with return fire, and surveillance footage shows the attacker staked out the area for one minute before a witness jumped on him and others restrained him.
- A judge ordered Lakanwal held without bond, citing the 'sheer terror' of the attack, the Justice Department is weighing the death penalty, and President Donald Trump ordered 500 more Guard members deployed.
- The FBI is treating the case as a possible international terrorism investigation while probing mental-health evaluations including PTSD; the defendant appeared from a hospital bed and is due back in court on Jan. 14, 2026.
193 Articles
193 Articles
Suspect in West Virginia National Guard shooting pleads not guilty in D.C. court • Oklahoma Voice
Members of the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies respond to the shooting of two members of the West Virginia National Guard near the White House on Nov. 26, 2025. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — The man accused in the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in the District of Columbia pleaded not guilty in his Tuesday arraignment hearing, during which he appeared virtually from a hospital bed…
DC ambush suspect charged from hospital bed as new images released of attack
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House last week, has been formally charged in D.C. Superior Court. Those charges include murder, assault with intent to kill while armed, and multiple firearms offenses. Lakanwal appeared remotely from a D.C. hospital, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds he suffered when another Guard member fired on him during…
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