U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta issued an emergency order on Saturday allowing federal Bureau of Prisons medical staff to provide nonconsensual nutrition and medical treatment to Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The order permits feeding the Afghan national intravenously or via a medical tube after he stopped eating while hospitalized in July. The judge said the measures are necessary to save Lakanwal’s life, though court filings did not disclose why he refused food.
The Justice Department asked the court to authorize the lifesaving intervention, arguing that Lakanwal has the capacity to make health decisions but is refusing essential nutrition. Defense attorneys contested the request, noting that Lakanwal has occasionally eaten, such as applesauce, but remains adamant about not wanting to eat. In a redacted filing, they claimed the government had not shown that his condition was dire enough to merit court involvement. Both Lakanwal’s counsel and a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office declined to comment further on his medical status.
The order, which can be renewed, expires on Oct. 28. Lakanwal, who resides in Bellingham, Washington, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and related charges stemming from a November 2025 shooting that killed West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24. The attack occurred outside a subway station three blocks from the White House, where Lakanwal shouted “Allahu Akbar” before firing.
Lakanwal was shot during the confrontation and made his initial court appearance from a hospital bed last year. The Justice Department has not indicated whether it will seek the death penalty in the case.
