National Guard member dies after shooting in Washington DC

One of the two members of the National Guard who were shot in Washington DC on Wednesday has died, US President Donald Trump said.

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries, while the second National Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, "is fighting for his life", Trump said on Thursday evening.

Both were shot at close range near Farragut Square in downtown DC just after 14:00 EST (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Police have arrested one suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan.

The attack has prompted a range of announcements from the Trump administration aimed at curbing migration from Afghanistan and a number of other countries.

Ms Beckstrom had enlisted on 26 June 2023 and was assigned to the 863rd Military Police Company, 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard.

She had volunteered to work in Washington over the US holiday Thanksgiving, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News following the shooting.

Jim Justice, a Republican senator from West Virginia, said he was "absolutely devastated" to learn of Ms Beckstrom's passing.

"Our prayers are with her family, friends, and fellow guardsmen during an incredibly difficult Thanksgiving Day," he said in a statement.

"We are also lifting up Andrew Wolfe in prayer as he continues his journey to recovery."

Officials said Mr Lakanwal came to the US from Afghanistan in 2021.

He will be charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, as well as possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro told a news conference on Thursday morning, before news of Ms Beckstrom's death.

"We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree," Pirro had said. "But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge: murder in the first degree."

Bondi told Fox News on Thursday that her office would seek the death penalty against the suspect, calling him a "monster who should not have been in our country".

Mr Lakanwal reportedly came to the US under a programme named Operation Allies Welcome, which offered special immigration protections to Afghans in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

At the time, the Taliban had taken back control of Afghanistan, raising fears of retribution against those who had co-operated with the US.