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WASHINGTON — <\/span>A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops<\/a> near the White House, killing one of them, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges in a new indictment that make him eligible for a possible death sentence if he is convicted.<\/p>\n Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, was arraigned on 17 counts, including first-degree murder, in the new indictment<\/a> handed up by a federal grand jury in Washington. Lakanwal originally pleaded not guilty in January to nine charges<\/a> in the November 2025 shooting that killed Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.<\/p>\n Before the Justice Department announces whether it will seek the death penalty against Lakanwal, his defense attorneys can meet with prosecutors and present any evidence that they believe weighs against a death sentence.<\/p>\n Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard for the federal law-enforcement surge that began in August in Washington, D.C., at the direction of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n Lakanwal is accused of driving to the nation\u2019s capital from Bellingham, Washington, while in possession of a stolen firearm and ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station three blocks from the White House.<\/p>\n Another National Guard member heard gunshots and saw Beckstrom and Wolfe fall to the ground as Lakanwal fired a gun and screamed, \u201cAllahu Akbar!\u201d according to a police report.<\/p>\n Lakanwal, who was shot during the confrontation, was seated in a wheelchair during his arraignment on Tuesday. He didn’t speak during the hearing; one of his attorneys entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.<\/p>\n Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 through a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled<\/a> tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal<\/a> from the country. Lakanwal worked with the American government, including the CIA, \u201cas a member of a partner force\u201d in Kandahar, Afghanistan, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has said.<\/p>\n Lakanwal is due back in court Sept. 16. A trial date for his case hasn’t been scheduled yet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n