Officials ID wounded National Guard members on job less than 24 hours before DC ambush as probe intensifies

The 2 National Guards members changeable conscionable blocks from the White House the time earlier Thanksgiving successful what officials called a "targeted" onslaught person been identified.

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were successful captious information aft undergoing surgery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said during a property league Thursday morning.

"I besides privation to accidental that some Sarah and Andrew, I believe, were sworn successful little than 24 hours earlier they were changeable connected the thoroughfare successful Washington," Pirro said.

Beckstrom and Wolfe are members of the West Virginia National Guard, which was deployed to the nation’s superior to tackle transgression successful the metropolis pursuing an enforcement bid from President Donald Trump earlier this year.

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File photograph of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom, who was wounded successful a shooting incidental successful Washington D.C., connected Nov. 26, 2025.  (Provided by the Department of Justice)

"They answered the call. They took the charge. They volunteered. They enactment their lives connected the enactment for radical they don't adjacent know," Pirro said of the 2 Guard members.

Pirro spoke Thursday greeting alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Brig. General Leland Blanchard of the National Guard. She provided caller details astir the shooting, including the limb utilized by the suspect. 

File photograph of National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, who was wounded successful a shooting incidental successful Washington D.C., connected Nov. 26, 2025.  (Provided by the Department of Justice)

Beckstrom and Wolfe were successful azygous adjacent the Farragut West Metro presumption astir 2:15 p.m. Wednesday erstwhile they were "ambushed" successful "a brazen and targeted attack," Pirro said.

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"A lone gunman opened occurrence without provocation, ambush style," she said. "Armed with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver, 1 Guardsman is struck, goes down, and past the shooter leans implicit and strikes the Guardsmen again. Another Guardsman is struck respective times."

Members of the National Guard stitchery aft reports of 2 National Guard soldiers were changeable adjacent the White House successful Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.  (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Pirro said that different adjacent Guardsmen instantly rushed the suspect. One responding Guardsman changeable the suspect, who was rapidly subdued.

The suspect, identified arsenic 29-year-old Afghan nationalist Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was taken to a section hospital, wherever helium remains nether dense guard, according to Pirro.

Authorities are investigating the shooting arsenic a imaginable enactment of planetary terrorism.

Undated record photograph of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the fishy successful the shooting of 2 National Guard members successful Washington, D.C., connected Nov. 26, 2025. (Provided by the Department of Justice)

Patel said helium spoke with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, confirming that the fishy had a narration successful Afghanistan with U.S. spouse forces.

"We are afloat investigating that facet of his inheritance arsenic well, to see immoderate known associates that are either overseas oregon present successful the United States of America," helium said.

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Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally successful 2021 nether humanitarian parole arsenic portion of the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome, pursuing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He had his asylum exertion approved during the Trump administration.

Patel said national authorities person executed aggregate hunt warrants crossed the country, including astatine Lakanwal’s past known residence successful Bellingham, Washington.

Emergency unit stitchery adjacent wherever National Guard soldiers look to person been changeable adjacent the White House Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

"During that process, we seized galore physics devices to see compartment phones, laptops, iPads and different worldly that is being analyzed arsenic we speak," helium said.

Patel said that grounds recovered successful Washington authorities led investigators to San Diego, wherever they are interviewing aggregate subjects.

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"Pursuant to that probe [in Washington], and immoderate known associates of the taxable and of that location is however we ended up successful San Diego, wherever interviews were conducted and are going to beryllium continued to beryllium conducted."

Patel added: "And we volition spell anyplace successful the state oregon the satellite wherever the grounds leads us."