Washington, DC [US], November 29 : The Afghan national, accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House, will be charged with first-degree murder, the Washington Post reported.
Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, DC, said that more counts are likely to follow against suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal (29), who migrated from Afghanistan in 2021 under "Operation Allies Welcome" during Joe Biden's tenure, after the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan.
The Washington Post reported that the upgraded charges of first-degree murder, instead of the initial charges of assault, raise the possibility for the suspected attacker to face the death penalty in the case.
The shooting that occurred on Wednesday, blocks from the White House, left two National Guard members severely injured. One of them (Spec. Sarah Beckstrom) has died, while the other remains wounded.
Although capital punishment has been abolished in District of Columbia, Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday said she will seek the death penalty against the man accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, the Hill reported.
In August, US president Donald Trump had asserted that his government would seek capital punishment in every murder case that occurred in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, Trump on Friday said that he would permanently pause migration from all "third-world countries" to allow the US system to terminate illegal admissions into the United States.
This comes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard service members in Washington, DC, on Wednesday by an Afghan national, which resulted in the death of one National Guard member and left the other critically injured.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden's Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country, end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens of our Country, denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization."
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