Monday, February 23, 2026

Afghan Pleads Not Guilty in National Guard Shooting.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Afghan national has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of two National Guardsmen near the White House, killing one and critically wounding the other.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rahmanullah Lakanwal, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The deadly shooting occurred last Wednesday near the White House in Washington, D.C.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “Allahu akbar!” – Allegedly shouted by Rahmanullah Lakanwal during the shooting.

🎯IMPACT: One National Guard member has died, another remains in serious condition. The Trump administration is pushing policy changes due to the suspect’s background, including re-vetting of Afghans settled in the U.S. by the former Biden government.

IN FULL

Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal appeared remotely from a hospital bed in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday to face first-degree murder and related firearms charges after allegedly shooting two West Virginia National Guard soldiers near the White House last week.

Prosecutors say Lakanwal opened fire around 2 PM on November 26, 2025, striking Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, while they were on patrol. Beckstrom died from her injuries. Wolfe, initially reported deceased by West Virginia officials, remains hospitalized in serious but improving condition; by Monday, he was reportedly giving nurses a thumbs-up and moving his toes.

Court documents state Lakanwal shouted “Allahu akbar!” as he fired and was subdued by other Guardsmen while attempting to reload. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and was ordered held without bond.

Lakanwal, who was also wounded in the exchange, entered the United States in September 2021 on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) after serving ten years in the Afghan army alongside U.S. Special Forces in Kandahar. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) confirmed his role in a partner force until the 2021 withdrawal. He had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism.

The attack prompted an immediate White House lockdown and heightened security across the capital. President Donald J. Trump referenced the shooting during a Thanksgiving call with troops and later wrote on Truth Social that the suspect “will pay a very steep price.”

The incident has triggered a Trump administration review of thousands of Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program, with officials citing vetting concerns. Separately, another Afghan refugee who arrived in 2021 faces federal charges in Texas for allegedly threatening to carry out a suicide bombing against Americans.

As of Tuesday, no trial date has been set for Lakanwal, who remains under guard while receiving medical treatment.

Image by Spirit of Eagle.

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Migrant Charged Over Farage Death Threats Refuses to Testify.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Afghan illegal immigrant is accused of making a threat to kill Reform Party leader Nigel Farage in a TikTok post.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Fayaz Khan, 26, and Nigel Farage.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The threats were allegedly issued between October 12 and 15, 2022; the trial is being held at Southwark Crown Court.

💬KEY QUOTE: “He says he’s coming to England and he’s going to shoot me.” – Nigel Farage

🎯IMPACT: The jury has been sent out to consider their verdicts after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defense.

IN FULL

Fayaz Khan, an Afghan illegal immigrant, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of making a threat to kill Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in a TikTok video posted between October 12 and 15, 2022. Khan, who crossed the English Channel on a small boat and livestreamed his illegal journey, was arrested on October 31. He has denied the charge and has chosen not to testify during the proceedings.

Prosecutor Peter Ratliff told the court that the video was “sinister and menacing” and should be taken as a serious threat rather than a joke or casual remark. He pointed to Khan’s refusal to give evidence, saying, “The prosecution suggest this is because there is no sensible defense he could give to that video.” Ratliff also highlighted Khan’s apparent fascination with guns, including tattoos of AK-47 rifles on his body.

Farage gave evidence, describing the video as “pretty chilling.” He told the jury, “He says he’s coming to England and he’s going to shoot me,” and voiced concern over Khan’s apparent obsession with firearms. Jurors were shown the TikTok video in question, which included the caption “I mean what I say,” along with other similar videos featuring gestures and sounds interpreted as threatening.

In a police interview, Khan said the video was never meant as a threat, explaining, “It was just a video, it was never an intention to threaten him.” He claimed his behavior reflected his online persona and was not serious.

Defending Khan, barrister Charles Royle argued the video was not a genuine threat but part of Khan’s bizarre and exaggerated online behavior. He described Khan’s actions as “remonstrating in his own idiosyncratic, moronic, comedic, eye-catching, attention-seeking way,” and urged jurors not to judge his client based on his immigration status or AK-47 tattoos. Royle also reminded the jury that Khan’s decision not to testify should not be taken as an admission of guilt.

The case comes amid growing concern over political violence. Farage has faced a string of attacks in recent years. In June 2024, he was assaulted with what appeared to be cement during a campaign event in Barnsley. Earlier, a drink was thrown at him as he left a pub in Clacton, after a spate of similar incidents.

Despite the rise in threats, the Labour Party-led British government reportedly slashed Farage’s security funding by 75 percent in October 2025, shortly after U.S. conservative organizer Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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Afghan Migrant Murders Two, Including Toddler, in Stabbing Spree.

Police have arrested an Afghan migrant after a stabbing spree left a two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man dead, with several others also injured in the attack in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The attack took place Wednesday, January 22, at a park in the center of the Bavarian town.

Enamullah O., a 28-year-old from Afghanistan, was arrested by police at the scene. He is believed to live in a local shelter for asylum seekers. Reports suggest the suspect had followed the daycare group of five young children before he struck.

Law enforcement is so far unwilling to offer a possible motive for the attack. Islamist Axel Rudakubana, the son of two Rwandan migrants, murdered three young girls and wounded several others at a dance class in Southport, England, last year—and a Syrian refugee stabbed multiple babies and toddlers and two adults at a park in Annecy, France, in 2023.

THE NEW NORMAL?

The Aschaffenburg attack comes after a wave of similar attacks by migrants in Germany in recent years. In 2024 alone, there were several high-profile stabbings by migrants, leaving multiple dead. In June, a 27-year-old Afghan migrant was shot dead in a town about 80 miles outside Berlin after going on a stabbing spree amid soccer fans from Germany and Scotland. Just a month prior, in May, another Afghan stabbed a German police officer to death at an anti-Islamization rally in Mannheim, wounding several others. Heinrich Koch, a 62-year-old local council candidate for the anti-mass migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, was stabbed in the same city just weeks later when he confronted a man tearing down election posters.

The most deadly attack took place in the city of Solingen, where a failed Syrian asylum seeker stabbed three people to death at a “festival of diversity.” He had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group.

Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.

Image by Markus Spiske.

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Police have arrested an Afghan migrant after a stabbing spree left a two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man dead, with several others also injured in the attack in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The attack took place Wednesday, January 22, at a park in the center of the Bavarian town. show more

Germany Has Given Visas to 25 Afghani Sharia Judges.

Germany has recently accepted 25 Sharia judges from Afghanistan as part of a larger resettlement program introduced by the far-left government, which pledges to bring tens of thousands of Afghan nationals to the country. Roughly 200 family members are expected to accompany the judges to the country.

The Federal Foreign Office and Ministry of the Interior initially pledged to relocate 44,000 Afghanis to Germany last year, with the aim of prioritizing “human rights activists” and homosexuals. However, the program was quickly halted due to widespread evidence of people abusing the system.

Despite warnings and evidence from the German security services that the resettlement program was being abused by people making dubious claims or completely falsifying their identity, the scheme was quickly re-established earlier this year and has proceeded to hand out at least 3,000 visas so far.

Alongside sharia judges and identity fraudsters, the German embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, has also received applications from Islamists and even suspected terrorists since it announced the scheme.

Germany already hosts nearly 400,000 Afghani nationals across the country, 176,000 of whom rely on state handouts to survive.

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Germany has recently accepted 25 Sharia judges from Afghanistan as part of a larger resettlement program introduced by the far-left government, which pledges to bring tens of thousands of Afghan nationals to the country. Roughly 200 family members are expected to accompany the judges to the country. show more