Afghan Man’s Shooting Case Near White House Moved for Death Penalty Review

U.S. officials have announced that the case of Rahmanullah Laknawal, an Afghan citizen accused of shooting two members of the U.S. National Guard near the White House, has been transferred from the Supreme Court to a district court to allow for the possibility of reviewing the death penalty. Fox News reported that this transfer followed new charges and aims to provide the necessary legal framework to consider the harshest penalty under the U.S. judicial system. United States Attorney Janine Pirro stated that moving the case to a district court permits a “serious and measured” examination of the appropriateness of the death penalty—a process she says is more feasible at this judicial level. The incident occurred earlier this month when Laknawal opened fire on two U.S. National Guard soldiers near the White House, resulting in one soldier being killed and another seriously injured. According to released information, Rahmanullah Laknawal previously cooperated with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and was relocated to the United States following the developments in 2021. After the shooting, the administration of Donald Trump, the current U.S. president, halted immigration case reviews for Afghans and banned visa issuance using Afghan passports—a decision that has had widespread consequences for thousands of Afghan residents undergoing migration processes.