The suspect charged with carrying out a deadly attack on National Guard troops stationed in Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was accused of killing one soldier and critically injuring another National Guard member in an ambush attack near the White House last November. He faces nine federal charges, including first-degree murder after Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is still recovering from serious wounds. 

The Afghan national was arraigned in federal court in Washington and entered a not-guilty plea this week. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said the suspected gunman will remain detained pending a trial. Lakanwal is due back in court in early March.

Lakanwal, who worked for the CIA during the Afghanistan War, was charged with first-degree murder while armed, or premeditated, assault with intent to kill while armed, and illegal possession of a firearm, among other related charges. Prosecutors said they are reviewing bringing more charges that would make Lakanwal eligible for the death penalty. 

The incident on Nov. 26, 2025, occurred near Farragut Square Metro Station. Both of the soldiers involved in the deadly attack served in West Virginia’s National Guard. They were deployed to Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s use of the military to discourage crime in the country’s capital. 

Wolfe is still recovering from gun wounds and continues to grapple with a language disorder known as aphasia after initially being left nearly nonverbal following the attack, according to his mother. He is awaiting cranioplasty, or skull reconstruction surgery, in March, Melody Wolfe wrote on Facebook over the weekend. 

In a message on Tuesday, Wolfe said he was “grateful to be alive.” 

“Thank you for your prayers and support. It’s all been overwhelming and I’m trying still and determined. It’s been hard to go through something like this,” he said in a social media post.