President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House by an Afghan national has died. He called the shooter a “savage monster.”
During a Thanksgiving call with US troops, Trump said he had learned that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life.”
“She's just passed away,” Trump said. “She's no longer with us. She's looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her.”
He described Beckstrom as an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way.”
Trump called the shooting a “terrorist attack” and blamed the Biden administration for allowing Afghans who assisted US forces during the war to enter the country. He said the shooter had become mentally unstable.
Trump orders immigration crackdown after shooting
The Trump administration announced an immediate “rigorous” re-examination of all Green Cards issued to immigrants from “every country of concern.”
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said Trump had “directed a full scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
Edlow said, “The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies.”
The new policy allows officials to consider “negative, country-specific factors” when reviewing immigration requests from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Yemen and others.
When asked about Lakanwal’s prior CIA ties, Trump said the man “went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts. And that happens too often with these people.”
He also showed a picture of Afghan evacuees crowded in a military plane and said, “look, this is how they come in, this is how they're standing on top of each other, and that's an airplane. There was no vetting or anything. They came in unvetted. And we have a lot of others in this country. We're going to get them out, but they go cuckoo.”
Broader immigration review underway
USCIS has already suspended all immigration requests related to Afghan nationals. DHS later announced that Trump ordered a review of all asylum cases approved during the Biden administration. Reuters reported that the suspect was granted asylum this year.
Edlow said he is also reviewing all Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries listed in Trump’s June travel ban.
Since returning to office, Trump has pursued a broad immigration overhaul. A recent DHS order targets 233,000 refugees admitted under Biden.
In late October, Trump set a record-low refugee admissions cap for 2026 at 7,500, stating the US would prioritise white South Africans of Afrikaner ethnicity.
Suspect worked with CIA-backed Afghan unit
The suspect is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29. Two sources told the Associated Press that Lakanwal had worked in a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating. #AfghanEvac also confirmed his past work with US forces.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, declined to discuss the motive. She said the attack took place just blocks from the White House. She described it as an “ambush-style” attack using a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
Lakanwal has been charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Pirro said “it's too soon to say” what the motive was, but added the charges could be upgraded.
“We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge.”
The suspect was also shot and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Community holds vigils for victims
The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Webster Springs, Beckstrom’s hometown, will hold prayer vigils on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to the Webster County Veterans Auxiliary.
The shooting took place amid heightened political tension over the Trump administration’s use of National Guard troops to address crime and immigration concerns.
Nearly 2,200 troops are currently deployed in Washington, according to government data.
Following the attack, the administration ordered 500 more Guard members to the city.
Questions on Afghanistan war legacy resurface
A man identifying himself as Lakanwal’s cousin told AP that Lakanwal was from Khost province and had served in the Zero Units, a CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary force. A former unit official said Lakanwal was a team leader and his brother was a platoon leader.
The cousin said Lakanwal worked as a security guard starting in 2012, then became a GPS specialist and team leader. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Zero Units fought alongside CIA paramilitary officers and played a major role during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal’s relationship with the US government “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” from Afghanistan.