Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the awards will go to West Virginia Guardsmen Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and SSgt. Andrew Wolfe, calling the attack the work of a radical during remarks at the Washington Monument.
- Beckstrom, 20, died a day after the November shooting, while Wolfe, 24, remains in inpatient rehabilitation with skull reconstruction surgery scheduled for March.
- Prosecutors said suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was arraigned on nine counts including first-degree murder, pleaded not guilty, and could face additional charges that allow pursuit of the death penalty.
- Authorities described the incident as an ambush near the Farragut West Metro Station, just blocks from the White House.
- Reporting says Lakanwal is an Afghan evacuee who previously worked with a CIA-linked unit, and the administration has labeled him a terrorist without publicly providing evidence tying him to a designated group, as officials note Purple Hearts for domestic attacks are uncommon with Chattanooga cited as precedent.