Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace has publicly demanded the execution of the man accused of a fatal shooting in Washington DC that left one National Guard soldier dead and another critically injured.
The Attack and Its Aftermath
The incident occurred around 2:15 pm on Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro Station, close to Lafayette Square and just blocks from the White House. The alleged assailant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was wounded when National Guard troops returned fire.
He was arrested at the scene and is currently receiving treatment in a DC-area hospital.
The shooting claimed the life of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, a service member with the West Virginia National Guard. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced on Friday that Lakanwal will face a charge of first-degree murder for her death.
Another guardsman, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was also wounded and remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Political Reactions and Calls for the Death Penalty
Representative Mace, a South Carolina Republican currently running for governor, appeared on Fox News on Thanksgiving Day to voice her strong stance. "I hope that the DOJ and the judge in this case will put this terrorist down," she told anchor Kevin Corke. "He doesn't deserve to live."
Mace's call for the death penalty was echoed by other prominent Republicans. Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia told Fox & Friends, "I agree with the district attorney, we should be pressing the ultimate charges, the death penalty for someone who has attacked our National Guard on the streets of Washington, DC."
The soldiers were in the nation's capital as part of a deployment initiated during the Trump administration to address crime.
Immigration and Vetting Concerns Raised
The case has ignited a fierce debate over immigration and security vetting. According to reports, Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the programme established following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that Lakanwal had been a "member of a partner force in Kandahar."
During her television appearance, Mace contested reports from an inspector general which found no systemic vetting failures for evacuees from Afghanistan. "I believe that the vetting was very loose," she asserted, linking the issue to broader border security concerns under the Biden administration.
This incident marks a continued political shift for Mace, who has transformed from a Republican who occasionally criticised Donald Trump into a staunch MAGA-aligned figure.
