US President Donald Trump says National Guard soldier Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot in an ambush near the White House on Wednesday, has died.
A male soldier who was also shot, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, is fighting for his life, the president added.
Speaking at the White House as part of his Thanksgiving call to US troops, Mr Trump said he had been told of Ms Beckstrom’s death seconds before fronting the media.
“Highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way, she’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now,” he said.
“Her parents are with her. This just happened. Savagely attacked, she’s dead. She’s not with us.
“Incredible person. Outstanding in every single way, in every department. It’s horrible.”
Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom were shot just blocks from the White House. (Reuters: Nathan Howard)
The alleged shooter, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is in custody and the shooting is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism.
Mr Lakanwal has lived in Washington state since 2021, when he entered the US under a Biden administration resettlement program called Operation Allies Welcome.
The program was designed to evacuate and resettle tens of thousands of Afghans who worked with the US during the conflict in their country, which was taken over by the Taliban in 2021 in the wake of America’s hasty withdrawal.
Officials said Mr Lakanwal worked as part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before resettling in the US.
Mr Trump, who called Mr Lakanwal a “savage monster”, used the announcement of Ms Beckstrom’s death to criticise his predecessor, saying there had not been sufficient vetting of those looking to resettle.
“This atrocity reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country,” the president said.
“For the most part, we don’t want them.”
Mr Trump also used his Thanksgiving message to tell military members his administration had ordered “a lot more” B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the aircraft used to strike Iran’s nuclear sites earlier this year.
“Those beautiful B-2 bombers, they totally obliterated the nuclear, potential nuclear supply of Iran,” Mr Trump said.
“We just ordered a lot more of them and the reason we did is they were totally incredible, totally invisible.”
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