Jeanine Pirro (00:00):
Where's… It's working? All right. Thank you all for being here on this difficult day. As you know, my name is Jeanine Pirro. I am the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and I am joined here by several individuals who represent agencies who have been working around the clock since this horrific event happened. To my left, we have the Director of the FBI, we have General Leland Blanchard of the National Guard. Mayor Bowser is here, as well. And we have Frank Saldana of the DEA, Chris Hecht of DHS, Executive Assistant Chief Jeffrey Carroll of the NPD, Darren Cox of the Washington FBI Field Office, and a special agent in charge, Samuel Ward, of the ATF in Washington.
(00:53)
I want to provide you with an update on the tragic shooting that occurred on two brave members of the West Virginia National Guard as they served in Washington D.C. Unfortunately today, as most families join together to give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon them, two families are shattered and destroyed and torn apart as a result of the actions of one man. First and foremost, our hearts go out to the victims and their families. These are dedicated service members who were performing their duties in service to our nation, and they are currently in critical condition. They have undergone surgery. We pray for their well-being as they continue to be cared for in the best possible way. We have been in constant contact with their families and have provided them with every resource needed during this difficult time.
(01:54)
The two National Guardsmen that we're talking about are Sarah Beckstrom, who's 20 years old, and Andrew Wolfe, who is 24 years old. They were uniformed members of the West Virginia National Guard and they were in D.C. to keep D.C. safe pursuant to President Trump's executive order to make D.C. safe and beautiful. They answered the call, they took the charge, they volunteered, they put their lives on the line for people they don't even know, and that, unfortunately, is becoming a reality more and more for the members of law enforcement.
(02:35)
Yesterday on Thanksgiving Eve at approximately 2:15 near 17th and I Streets in the Northwest section of the district near the Farragut West Metro Station, two uniformed guardsmen were ambushed in a brazen and targeted attack. A lone gunman opened fire without provocation ambush style armed with a 357 Smith and Wesson revolver. One Guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again. Another guardsman is struck several times. Fellow Guardsmen who were there responded immediately engaging the suspect, neutralizing the threat, and subduing him at the scene. He was transported to a local hospital where he remains, as we speak, under heavy guard. Thanks to the swift and coordinated response of the National Guard and the Metropolitan Police Department, no additional victims were harmed and the scene was secured within minutes.
(03:47)
The suspect, he has been identified as Ramanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who entered the United States under Biden's Operation Allies Welcome, a program following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. He resided in Bellingham, Washington with his wife, and we believe five children, and we're working very closely with our federal partners, especially DHS and the FBI, to review his immigration history and the vetting process itself. What we know about him is that he drove his vehicle across country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation's capitol.
(04:41)
As we stand here today, the charges that are appropriate right now are three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, a violation of D.C. Code 22-401 and D.C. Code 22-4502. He will also be charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He faces 15 years under the assault with the intent to kill. We intend to continue monitoring what the charges will be depending upon the well-being of the guardsmen. We are praying that they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they do not, that will certainly be the charge: murder in the first degree. The Department of Justice under Attorney General, Pam Bondi, is committed to a thorough and an impartial investigation where we will hold this perpetrator accountable under the full weight of the law.
(05:52)
Now, Sarah and Andrew volunteered. They came here to protect the people of the district pursuant to a crime emergency that President Trump rightly declared in this city and in other cities across the country, our nation's capital should not and must not be a place where evil comes to commit violence, whatever their cause or motive may be. We should not have to live in fear in the nation's capital, especially by one who came here from a foreign country through a process that was so absurd that he came through and released into this country, as many were knowing virtually nothing about his vetting. This is what happens in this country when people are allowed in who are not properly vetted.
(06:46)
These guardsmen and all who are here to protect the district are the line that separates a civilized society from a barbaric one. They are the ones who stand for law and order. This was not just an attack, it was a direct challenge to law and order in our nation's capital. And the individual will be made fully accountable. And though it seems that we have been here before under President Trump, make no mistake, and the Attorney General, we will not allow this to be normalized. It will be confronted, condemned, and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
(07:28)
Now, my message to the individual who committed these acts is you picked the wrong target, the wrong city, and the wrong country, and you'll be sorry for the violence and the evil that you perpetrated in our nation's capital. And now I call upon the Director of the FBI, Kash Patel.
Kash Patel (07:54):
Thanks, judge. I'll begin my remarks and my remarks the same way with prayer for our fallen soldiers, prayer for our law enforcement community, prayer for our national Guardsmen and women, prayer for our brave prosecutors at the Department of Justice and the offices of the D.C. United States Attorney. We must come together as a nation, especially on this Thanksgiving Day and remember the sacrifices that so many are making around the world and around this country to secure our freedoms under President Trump's brilliant leadership and administration.
(08:25)
I'll provide an update on the case as follows. It is an ongoing investigation of terrorism. Make no mistake about it, the FBI is leading out on these federal assault on a federal law enforcement officer investigation on many fronts. We immediately, with our law enforcement partners and the Metropolitan Police Department and the interagency, secured the scene, seized the weapon, sent in our evidence response team immediately to collect evidence and started doing block-by-block canvases. We are looking for and interviewing witnesses. The firearm and other materials have been sent to our Quantico laboratory already yesterday for immediate analysis. That work is ongoing.
(09:05)
Partnering with the D.C. United States Attorney's Office, we have also executed multiple search warrants around the country to include the subject's last known residence, which is in the state of Washington. The search warrant was executed on that house last night or early this morning, and it is an ongoing process. All the individuals found in the house have been interviewed and some interviews remain ongoing. We will not stop until we interview anyone and everyone associated with the subject, the house, and every piece of his life. There was also subject interviews relations conducted in San Diego pursuant to our ongoing investigation.
(09:43)
So as the judge noted, this is a coast-to-coast investigation being led right here in Washington D.C., and this subject definitely did pick the wrong country. And we will rise together as a nation to show the world what we do here. And we are thankful that we have the Attorney General's brave leadership and President Trump's brave leadership and priorities to safeguard our communities.
(10:05)
I also spoke to Director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe last night and Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. There is confirmation now that the subject had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces. We are fully investigating that aspect of his background, as well, to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America. That is what a broad-based international terrorism investigation looks like. We will provide continuous details to the American public, while at the same time not jeopardizing the ongoing prosecution to ultimately hold this perpetrator accountable in our courts of law. We will provide as much transparency as possible, but as you can see, the breadth and scope of this investigation will continue.
(10:52)
We will continue to hit the streets and hit every town and every house, and talk to every witness. The men and women of the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department and the interagency to include the Department of Homeland Security, DEA, and ATF are working tirelessly on this Thanksgiving Day. And I know just by talking to the leaders behind me that instead of going on and being with their families, everyone rogered up and showed up to work today and none of them want to go home. That's the resolve that we have together, as a team, to bring to you justice for this heinous act of terrorism here in our nation's capital. And as the judge said, we will ensure that our law enforcement partners are out there in full force to make sure the world can enjoy our nation's capital. We will not let this heinous act of violence prevent people from visiting our beautiful nation's capital.
(11:40)
And we will also continue to highlight any evidence that we can publicly. And as the judge said, this individual is in this country for one reason and one reason alone; because of the disastrous withdrawal from the Biden administration and the failure to vet any way, in any way, shape, or form this individual and countless others, and this administration has taken the rightful step to stop any further allowance of people with this similar background into the country and we're thankful for that. And as I said, this investigation remains ongoing and I think I'll turn it over to General Blanchard to the National Guard now. Thank you.
General Leland Blanchard (12:15):
Thank you, Director. All across America this morning, families are waking up. They'll spend the day with their children, their brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, friends from across the community. There will be the smell of turkey, all the fixings, they'll watch parades, football games, they'll pray together, they'll talk about what they're grateful for. This morning, there are two families that will not have that opportunity. Andy and Sarah's families, they're spending the day reflecting on the past and in the days coming, they'll reflect on and think about what could have been, what might be. Because regardless of the outcome, we know that their lives, their family's lives are all changed forever because one person decided to do this horrific and evil thing. And all across America, we are also reminded that there are many law enforcement agents, first responders, soldiers, service members all around the world who, at best, will come home, eat some cold turkey, open up Tupperware, eat what's left over because they spent the day defending the American ideals, getting out there and getting after it on every American citizen's behalf.
(14:22)
I will say that the District of Columbia National Guard, this task force is more committed this morning to the president's directive to make D.C. safe and beautiful. Our resolve will be tested. It is being tested, but make no mistake, each and every one of these soldiers and airmen will meet and exceed the expectation that we have for them. They are, in fact, America's best. I'm proud of each and every one of them. I pray for each and every one of them today, and in particular, for these two young service members who are willing to go above and beyond and pay whatever price our nation asks of them. I ask every American today to keep them in their thoughts and prayers as you go about your day. Thank you.
Jeanine Pirro (15:23):
Thank you, General. Mayor, where's Mayor Bowser?
Muriel Bowser (15:25):
I'm right here.
(15:28)
Thank you, judge. I'm Muriel Bowser. I'm the Mayor of Washington D.C., and I want to associate myself with the remarks of our Adjutant General from the D.C. National Guard. I want to be very clear what the judge and everyone has reported here. Somebody drove across the country, came to Washington D.C. to attack America, and that person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These young people should be at home in West Virginia with their families.
Jeanine Pirro (16:08):
ATF, anybody, DHS? Anyone?
Kash Patel (16:12):
We're good.
Jeanine Pirro (16:13):
Okay. I also want to say that both Sarah and Andrew, I believe, were sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot on the street in Washington.
(16:30)
Any questions?
Speaker 5 (16:31):
Could you drill down on a possible motive? Have you gotten any information, any intelligence on a possible motive?
Jeanine Pirro (16:37):
As the Director has indicated, this is a fluid investigation, people are working around the clock. It's too soon to say what the motive is, but there are definitely areas that we're looking into but not ready to say.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Can you characterize a little bit about how the assailant was taken down after he opened fire?
Jeanine Pirro (16:58):
Yeah, he got shot.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
But by another guard?
Jeanine Pirro (17:01):
By another guardsman, yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
You mentioned earlier that he, the shoote,r had initially shot one of the guardsmen, then leaned over as they were on the ground-
Jeanine Pirro (17:12):
Shot him again.
Speaker 5 (17:12):
Shot again.
Jeanine Pirro (17:13):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
How many shots are we talking about?
Jeanine Pirro (17:17):
Well, the specific number, look, he had a 357 Smith and Wesson revolver, so I believe that's a six-shooter, yeah. So that tells us how many shots he had. Yes?
Speaker 6 (17:32):
Judge, you had mentioned we've been here before because we had, it was May when we were last here.
Jeanine Pirro (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (17:39):
I want to ask if you could please comment to, obviously we understand that you're saying this is under the Biden administration and the words are that it was a failed withdrawal and what happened there. There are people who are also upset with the President believing that the National Guard members should not even have been there if it were not for the executive order.
Jeanine Pirro (17:56):
I don't even want to talk about whether they should have been there. We ought to kiss the ground and thank God that the President said it's time to bring in more law enforcement to make sure that his city that had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country was that, that violence was quelled. I'm not even going to go there.
Speaker 7 (18:15):
A question for Director Patel. Was the suspect granted asylum, and, if so, when did that happen? Under which administration? And did authorities miss any signs either in the asylum process or even back when before he worked for the CIA. Can you talk about that?
Kash Patel (18:34):
Well, you miss all the signs when you do absolutely zero vetting, and that's exactly what happened in this case. When you, in the prior administration made the decision to allow thousands of people into this country without doing a single piece of background checking or vetting. That's how you miss every single sign. And Secretary Kristi Noem has put out details specifically related to your other questions, so I'll let that speak for themselves.
Speaker 7 (18:55):
Specificity of when he was going to or when he was going to get a asylum. If you could just clarify that timeline?
Kash Patel (19:01):
Yes, I believe Kristi Noem put that out, and that's a DHS matter and I'll refer it to them.
Speaker 5 (19:06):
Could you elaborate on the investigative steps that were taken at San Diego?
Kash Patel (19:09):
Sure.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
You mentioned Bellingham, Washington is where he live.
Kash Patel (19:11):
Sure.
Speaker 5 (19:11):
But could you explain the San Diego connection?
Kash Patel (19:14):
So what happened was, thanks to the quick investigation by the interagency and the FBI, we were able to track down his last known residence. Working with the United States Attorney's Offices here and at the Department of Justice and prosecutors across the country, we were able to serve search warrants literally overnight and through the night.
Jeanine Pirro (19:31):
All night.
Kash Patel (19:32):
And we were able to hit the house in Washington State. During that process, we seized numerous electronic devices to include cell phones, laptops, iPads, and other material that is being analyzed as we speak. Pursuant to that investigation and any known associates of the subject and of that house is how we ended up in San Diego, where interviews were conducted and are going to be continued to be conducted and we will go anywhere in the country or the world where the evidence leads us.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
Are there accomplices relationships in San Diego you can talk about?
Kash Patel (20:03):
All of that is an ongoing investigation.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Can anyone give an update as far as Sarah and Andrew who were injured? You say critical condition. Can you give anything beyond that? Are they expected to make it? Is it touch and go? Can you tell us a little more about how they're doing?
Speaker 7 (20:17):
And the full spelling of their names, please?
Jeanine Pirro (20:20):
It is Sarah Beckstrom, B-E-C-K-S-T-R-O-M, and Andrew Wolfe with an E, W-O-L-F-E.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
And Sarah?
Jeanine Pirro (20:32):
And Sarah Beckstrom. B.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
How do you spell Sarah?
Jeanine Pirro (20:36):
Oh, with an H. Now, with respect to their medical condition, as I said, they're receiving the finest medical care. Their families are with them now. They are critical. I think you understand the meaning of that. It's not clear how this is going to end up, but let me be perfectly clear about how it will end up in this office. If one of them is to pass, and God forbid that happens, this is a murder one, period, end of the story. We are praying on a day like today when families come together in America and they hold hands around the Thanksgiving table, I beg you, I beseech you to pray for these two young people that they survive. I think that's it.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
[inaudible 00:21:26] Gabbard said-
General Leland Blanchard (21:26):
Thank you everybody.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
That there was radical Islamist Afghan terrorist.
Jeanine Pirro (21:29):
Yeah, we're not going there.
Speaker 5 (21:30):
Do you have-
Jeanine Pirro (21:30):
We're not going there.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Specific information on how he might've gotten radical.
Jeanine Pirro (21:34):
No, no. Thank you.
Speaker 6 (21:35):
Can we talk about the decision not to charge him as a terrorist?
Speaker 7 (21:38):
What about the asylum process that led him to get asylum?