More details are coming to light…
Intelligence officials are reportedly exploring a new motive in the recent ambush shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The Afghan suspect in the shooting may have been blackmailed into carrying out the attack by the Taliban.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is facing first-degree murder charges after allegedly opening fire on West Virginia service members just blocks from the White House on November 26, killing 20-year-old Army specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically injuring Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. (RELATED: Suspect In DC Shooting Faces Upgraded Charge After National Guard Specialist Dies)
But an unnamed intelligence source cited by The Daily Beast in its newsletter says investigators are exploring whether Lakanwal was threatened by Taliban operatives who could target his family in Afghanistan if he refused.
Mediaite reports:
“It is by no means our only line of inquiry,” the unnamed intelligence source told the outlet, adding: “People in this country have no idea about the level of stress these people are under.”
The Beast reported that the Taliban has established a unit known as “Yarmouk 60,” tasked with hunting down Afghans who aided the United States during operations there.
According to one source, a member of the UK-backed “Afghan Triples” unit managed to flee to Germany, believing his family would eventually join him, but fighters from “Yarmouk 60” allegedly killed his wife, father, and four children instead.
On Thursday — before Beckstrom’s death — Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News the Department of Justice intends to seek the death penalty against Lakanwal.
Beckstrom, a native of Webster Springs, West Virginia, enlisted in the National Guard in June 2023 and was deployed to the District as part of the Joint Task Force-D.C. mission that began in August. In a statement, the West Virginia National Guard said she had been serving in the capital since Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) directed additional deployments late last summer.
Her alma mater, Webster County High School, paid tribute to Beckstrom in a Facebook post Thursday, noting she “has always demonstrated the strength, character, and commitment that make our school and community proud” and that “[h]er decision to serve her country reflects the very best of what we hope to instill in our Highlander students.”
Wolfe, a Martinsburg, West Virginia, native who enlisted in 2019, remains hospitalized in critical condition. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Friday that “we still have hope” regarding his recovery.
Authorities say the shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the Farragut Square Metro Station at 17th and I streets NW. Metropolitan Police Department Executive Assistant Chief Jeffery Carroll said the guardsmen were on “high visibility patrol” when they were shot. Other Guard members apprehended Lakanwal at the scene.
In response to the tragic shooting, the Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is pausing certain immigration processing for nationals from 19 countries that were already subject to full or partial U.S. travel restrictions.
The impacted nations are: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
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“threatened by Taliban operatives who could target his family in Afghanistan if he refused.“