An Afghan man appeared in court virtually from his hospital bed on Tuesday to plead not guilty to charges related to the shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal is accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House last week. One of them, Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries a day later. The other victim, Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.
DC Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond ordered Lakanwal held without bond before trial.
“No condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” the judge said, in deciding to keep the defendant detained.
“It is fairly clear that he came across the country, 3,000 miles, armed, with a specific purpose in mind,” the judge added.
Lakanwal was hospitalized after being shot Wednesday. He appeared virtually from a hospital bed on Tuesday in Washington, DC, superior court. As the judge began, the man could be seen wiggling and moving in his bed, all but his head covered by a blanket.
The man mumbled his name when asked through squinted eyes. He said, through a translator, he cannot open his eyes.
“I have pain,” he said.
Lakanwal was charged with several crimes including premeditated murder and assault with intent to kill. He pleaded not guilty to all counts, a lawyer appointed to the case told DC Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond.
An interpreter accompanied Lakanwal in the virtual hearing translating between Pashto and English.
One of Lakanwal’s attorneys, Terrence Austin, argued that his client should be released. He said the Justice Department took too long to charge Lakanwal and said he had no prior criminal record.
A prosecutor argued that the seriousness of the charges — including first degree murder while armed — call for him to be detained pretrial. The prosecutor also argued the man has no ties to the city, and no conditions could ensure the safety of the community.
Lankanwal spent the last few years living in Washington state with his family. He came to the US in 2021 after working with US forces in Afghanistan before the US military withdrew from the country.
DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro was sitting in the front row of the courtroom throughout the hearing, with a US marshal seated next to her.
Austin said during the hearing Tuesday that the jury pool was being tainted by public press conferences regarding the case.
After the hearing, Pirro exited through the back of the courtroom and held a press conference outside the courthouse.
“We have no idea who he is, he has no connections to the community,” Pirro said.
When asked about the death penalty, she added, “That is a very weighty decision, That is a decision that comes later in time. That is one that ultimately one that the attorney general will make.”
Lankanwal is scheduled to appear in court next on January 14.
In a charging document released Tuesday, prosecutors say Lakanwal screamed “Allahu Akbar” while he opened fire in Northwest downtown Washington, DC.
In an eight-page court filing, law enforcement described in detail the scene of the shooting, with soldiers Beckstrom and Wolfe talking and on patrol just after 2pm ET on November 26 when gunfire erupted.
The two victims fell to the ground and saw the defendant, the affidavit said.
Investigators say they were able to track Lakanwal’s movements before the shooting through a surveillance video from near the Farragut West metro station in DC. The man was standing on the sidewalk near the station for about a minute then ran toward the intersection, and around the corner.
The surveillance camera captured the moment the two soldiers collapsed to the ground. It also captured Lakanwal apparently “chasing and shooting at” another witness and bending down near the two victims he had shot, investigators wrote.
This story is developing and will be updated.