One of the two National Guard soldiers shot by an Afghan man in Washington DC has died, Donald Trump has said.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, from West Virginia, was shot on Wednesday alongside Andrew Wolfe, 24, in the US capital in an “ambush”.
Earlier on Thursday, her father Gary told The New York Times his daughter was unlikely to survive.
“I’m holding her hand right now,” he said. “She has a mortal wound. It’s not going to be a recovery.”
Sarah Beckstrom (right) was shot on Wednesday alongside Andrew Wolfe (left)
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REUTERS
“Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we’re talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person .. She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” Mr Trump said in his first live remarks since the shooting.
Mr Wolfe is fighting for his life, the President also said.
“I want to express the anguish and the horror of our entire nation that the terrorist attack yesterday in our nation’s capital, in which a savage monster gunned down two service members in the West Virginia National Guard, who were deployed as part of the DC Task Force,” Mr Trump continued.
He added that the suspect’s “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.”
US Attorney for Columbia Jeanine Pirro confirmed the suspected gunman was Rahmanullah Lakanwal
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REUTERSAuthorities say the suspected gunman, 29-year-old Afghan migrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is in custody following the attack.
If convicted, the migrant could face 15 years in prison – though it remains exactly unclear how this may increase following Ms Beckstrom’s death.
The FBI searched multiple properties in a widening probe, including a home in Washington state linked to the suspect.
Officials said he was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before coming to the US in 2021 as part of “Operation Allies Welcome” in the aftermath of the US withdrawal from his country – similar to Britain’s own covered-up relocation scheme.
MIGRANT CRIME – READ MORE:
PICTURED: Donald Trump holds the picture of a refugee plane from Afghanistan after confirming Ms Beckstrom’s death
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REUTERS
Agents seized numerous electronic devices from his home, including mobile phones, laptops, and iPads, and interviewed his relatives, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
And Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for Washington DC, said the suspect drove cross-country and then ambushed the Guard members while they were patrolling near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
The United States immediately suspended all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals following the attack.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, UK time, US immigration authorities confirmed: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.
‘We will first bring the shooter to justice, and then we must redouble our efforts to deport people with no right to be in our country,’ JD Vance said | GETTY“The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
Vice President JD Vance said after the announcement yesterday: “I remember back in 2021 criticising the Biden policy of opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees.
“Friends sent me messages calling me a racist. It was a clarifying moment. They shouldn’t have been in our country.
“Many of our voters will demand not just words, but action, and this is an entirely appropriate response.”
