National Guard member shot in Washington dies of injuries, says Donald Trump

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A member of the West Virginia National Guard who was shot in Washington on Wednesday has died, President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

The victim, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was critically wounded when a gunman opened fire close to the Farragut West metro station in downtown Washington.

Trump said he expressed the “anguish” and “horror” of the nation over the shooting.

The second victim, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in a critical condition, the president said.

The suspected gunman has been identified as an Afghan national who worked with the US government, including the CIA, in Afghanistan.

The alleged attacker, who US officials named as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, worked with US forces as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, Afghanistan, CIA director John Ratcliffe said.

Trump described the gunman as “cuckoo” when asked about his past ties to the US government.

The two National Guard members were shot a short distance from the White House on Wednesday afternoon in what officials have described as a “brazen” and “targeted” attack.

In a joint press conference with FBI director Kash Patel on Thursday, US attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Lakanwal lived in the Washington state city of Bellingham with his wife and children, and drove across the country to the US capital before carrying out Wednesday’s attack, Pirro said.

The Afghan, who was shot while being subdued by members of the National Guard, remains in hospital. He faces three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and could face a sentence of up to 15 years’ imprisonment, Pirro said. He could also face charges of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, she added.

Pirro said it was “too soon” to identify a motive.

Patel said a “coast-to-coast” investigation was under way and search warrants had been issued across the country, including at his last known residence.

Patel said he had spoken to Ratcliffe and defence secretary Pete Hegseth about the alleged gunman’s relationship with US partner forces in Afghanistan.

Lakanwal is believed to have come to the US as part of “Operation Allies Welcome”, an initiative of Joe Biden’s administration to resettle tens of thousands of Afghan nationals who had supported the US military in Afghanistan.

Trump and his top lieutenants have sought to blame the Biden administration for Wednesday’s attack, accusing them of insufficient vetting of Afghans coming to the US under the programme, which was established over fears those who worked with the US and its allies could face retribution from the Taliban.

Trump said in a speech on Wednesday evening: “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden. And we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”

US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles residence permits for foreign nationals, said the processing of all immigration requests by Afghans was being suspended indefinitely pending a review of security and vetting protocols.