India, Dec. 3 -- A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House, reportedly pleaded not guilty on Tuesday on the charges of murder and assault in his first appearance before the judge, virtually from a hospital bed.

The man named Rahmanullah Lakanwal is an Afghan national who was also shot and is facing charges from the November 26 shooting that killed specialist Sarah Beckstrom and wounded National Guard member Andrew Wolfe.

Lakanwal's attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf during a brief court hearing in Washington, DC, Associated Press reported.

Authorities were investigating a possible motive for what they described as an ambush-style attack. As per the report, prosecutor Ariel Dean described the...