Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday at a National Mall ceremony that Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe will receive Purple Heart medals.
- Beckstrom, 20, died after the Nov. 26 shooting near the Farragut West Metro station, and Wolfe, 24, remains in recovery with skull reconstruction surgery scheduled for March.
- Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, has pleaded not guilty to nine federal charges after arraignment, and prosecutors say they may seek additional counts that could allow the death penalty.
- Officials describe the attack as an ambush on Guard members on duty, and Hegseth called the assailant a “radical” as the administration labels him a terrorist without citing a designated group link.
- Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. during the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation and reportedly served with a CIA-associated ‘Zero Unit,’ and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey had requested the Purple Hearts and praised the move.