U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta issued an emergency order Saturday authorizing the Bureau of Prisons to provide nonconsensual nutrition and medical treatment to Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Lakanwal, an Afghan national, is currently in government custody awaiting trial for the fatal shooting of a West Virginia National Guard member in Washington, D.C. The judge ruled that federal authorities may use nasogastric tube feeding, intravenous feeding, or an existing gastrostomy tube to preserve Lakanwal’s life.
The order follows reports from the Justice Department that Lakanwal began refusing food in June and has at times refused to drink water. He was moved to a D.C. hospital on an emergency basis on July 9 after U.S. Marshals expressed concern over his health. While Judge Mehta noted during a hearing in July that Lakanwal’s condition had improved, prosecutors stated he continues to refuse the nutrition necessary to sustain his life.
Attorneys for Lakanwal from the public defender’s office opposed the government's request for forced feeding. In redacted court filings, his lawyers argued that Lakanwal has medical capacity to make his own health decisions and that he has consumed some food, such as applesauce, while hospitalized. They contended that the medical records provided by the government did not support the claim that his condition was dire enough to require court intervention.
Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty to 17 charges, including first-degree murder and the attempted murder of federal officers. The charges stem from a November 2025 incident near the Farragut Square Metro Station where U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded. The service members were part of a deployment to the capital for a law-enforcement surge. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty, a decision U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described as "weighty."
The order allows the government to bypass the standard requirement for patient consent in medical procedures. By authorizing "nonconsensual nutrition," the court is weighing the individual's right to refuse medical treatment against the government's interest in preserving his life for trial.
The order is set to remain in effect until October 28, 2026, at which point the Justice Department may seek an extension. Next steps include a medical evaluation of Staff Sgt. Wolfe for reconstructive surgery this week, and the government’s continued review of whether to pursue the death penalty for Lakanwal.