Two West Virginia National Guardsmen wounded in a shooting near the White House had been deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service less than a day prior to the attack, officials revealed Thursday.
During a press conference, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro confirmed the tight timeline regarding 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe and 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom. “I also want to say that both Sarah and Andrew, I believe, were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington,” Pirro stated.
The pair were allegedly fired upon with a Smith and Wesson revolver at the Farragut West Metro Station by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan immigrant. Lakanwal, who arrived in the U.S. following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, previously worked with the CIA and other government agencies in Kandahar Province.
READ: DC Ambush Suspect Confirmed As Former CIA Asset; Afghan Immigration Halted
According to reports from journalist Julio Rojas, Lakanwal allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” before opening fire. In the ensuing struggle, one guardsman reportedly stabbed the suspect with a pocketknife, while another returned gunfire, striking Lakanwal multiple times.
The violence occurs against a backdrop of significant federal intervention in the capital. National Guard troops are currently deployed in the District following President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department earlier in August.
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