Crime
West Virginia National Guard Member Sarah Beckstrom Dies After Being Shot by Afghan National Rahmanullah Lakanwal in Washington
A West Virginia National Guard member has died following a shooting near the White House on Wednesday.
Officials have identified the victim as 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who sustained critical injuries during what authorities are describing as an ambush-style attack in downtown Washington, D.C.
Former President Donald Trump publicly confirmed her death, stating he was notified moments before addressing the public.
โI was informed that Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen involved in this horrific attack โ a highly respected and remarkable young woman who began her service in June of 2023 โ has passed away. She is no longer with us, but she is looking down on us now,โ Trump said.
The second victim, identified as 24-year-old Specialist Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition and is reported to be โfighting for his life.โ
Both soldiers had been sworn into active duty less than 24 hours before the shooting occurred. Beckstrom was from Webster Springs, and Wolfe is from Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Multiple federal law enforcement agencies have confirmed that the alleged shooter is 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the United States on September 8, 2021, under the Biden administrationโs Operation Allies Welcome, which assisted Afghan allies following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He later resettled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.
Investigators state that Lakanwal previously served in the Afghan Special Forces and fought alongside U.S. forces against the Taliban.
He reportedly applied for asylum in 2024, and the application was approved earlier this year. However, officials now report that his legal permission to remain in the United States expired in September 2025, leaving him in the country without lawful status at the time of the incident.
Several sources have indicated that Lakanwal may have shouted a phrase in a foreign language during the attack.
Federal agencies have not yet confirmed whether this was motivated by terrorism, though the FBI has opened a counterterrorism investigation.
The shooting occurred near the Farragut Metro Station, only blocks from the White House. Approximately 10โ15 rounds were fired.
Officials describe the attack as intentional and targeted. The incident escalated into a gunfight, and the suspect was shot multiple times before being taken into custody.
Lakanwal is hospitalized and has reportedly refused to cooperate with investigators.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued a statement expressing deep sorrow, noting earlier confusion over the victimsโ conditions due to conflicting emergency reports.
โDenise and I are devastated by this tragedy. Our prayers remain with these brave service members, their families, and the entire Guard community,โ Morrisey said.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb also condemned the attack, adding:
โViolence is never the answer and must be condemnedโswiftly and without hesitation. These guardsmen volunteered to serve their nation. This is a heartbreaking day for our city and our country.โ
Federal agencies, including the FBI, DHS, and military intelligence, are continuing to investigate the motive, background, and movements of the suspect.
A search warrant was executed at his Washington State residence the same night.
Officials are reviewing whether the attack meets the legal standard for an act of terrorism.
Further updates will be released as additional verified information becomes available.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculationโdespite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle Eastโfocused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouchโs social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 โ the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays โ Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled โI Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,โ was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from โAncestors Song,โ a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouchโs participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the authorโs family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown Universityโs decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.