Incident Involving National Guard Soldiers in Washington
During a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that two National Guard soldiers from West Virginia were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot and killed in Washington, D.C.
The soldiers, Andrew Wolf, 24, and Sarah Beckstrom, 20, were allegedly shot by Rahmanullah Rakanwar, an Afghan immigrant, using a Smith & Wesson revolver at the Farragut West subway station, located about a mile from the White House. Pirro’s office confirmed that Beckstrom and Wolf had been sworn in as deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service.
“I believe both Sarah and Andrew took the oath less than 24 hours before they were shot and killed on the streets of Washington,” Pirro stated.
Pirro’s office directed further inquiries to the Sheriff’s Department, which has not yet responded. Eyewitness journalist Julio Rojas reported that Rakanwar shouted “Allah Akbar!” before opening fire on the National Guard members. He also noted that one soldier at the scene used a pocket knife to stab Rakanwar, while another soldier returned fire, hitting the suspect.
Rakanwar had arrived in the U.S. shortly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan and had previously worked with the CIA in Kandahar province.
Following a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced by President Donald Trump on August 11, the National Guard was deployed to the area after an incident where a city employee, Edward Coristine, was injured while assisting a carjacking victim.
