A federal judge authorized prison medical staff to force-feed the man accused of ambushing two service members three blocks from the White House, a suspect who has refused to eat for months while awaiting trial on murder charges.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta signed an emergency order on Saturday permitting "nonconsensual" nutrition and medical treatment for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national charged with fatally shooting West Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe outside a Washington, D.C., subway station in November 2025. Lakanwal, who has pleaded not guilty, was rushed to a hospital in July after he stopped eating in jail. He now faces involuntary feeding, by IV or medical tube, administered by federal Bureau of Prisons medical staff, the Associated Press reported.
The order expires October 28 but can be renewed. Justice Department attorneys asked for the intervention after concluding that Lakanwal possesses the mental capacity to make health decisions, and is deliberately refusing food necessary to keep him alive.
In their filing, government attorneys wrote plainly about the stakes:
"The defendant has medical capacity to make determinations regarding his health, and he is refusing nutrition that is necessary to sustain his life."
Prosecutors also cited existing case law holding that prison officials can involuntarily feed hunger-striking prisoners, a legal framework that gave Judge Mehta a basis for the emergency order. The judge's authorization will remain in effect, the Washington Examiner reported, "until adequate oral intake of food and liquid and adequate acceptance of medical treatment is achieved and defendant's life is no longer threatened."
Lakanwal's defense team pushed back. In a redacted court filing, his attorneys argued the government had not shown his condition was dire enough to justify court-ordered intervention:
"At this juncture, the government does not indicate that Mr. Lakanwal's condition is so dire as to require this Court's intervention and the provided medical records do not support that position."
Defense filings acknowledged, however, that Lakanwal has been "adamant at times" about not wanting to eat. He consumed some food, applesauce, for instance, while hospitalized, but the pattern of refusal was serious enough to land him in a hospital bed and prompt the Justice Department to go to a judge. Defense attorney Shelli Peterson declined to elaborate on Monday about Lakanwal's medical condition or care. A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office also declined to comment.
Court filings have not specified a reason for Lakanwal's refusal to eat. The relevant documents remain heavily redacted, leaving the motive an open question as the case moves forward.
The underlying crime is one of the most brazen attacks on uniformed personnel in Washington in recent memory. Prosecutors say Lakanwal ambushed the two service members outside a subway station just three blocks from the White House on November 26, 2025. A police report described a witness, another National Guard member, who heard gunshots and saw Beckstrom and Wolfe fall to the ground as Lakanwal fired a gun and screamed "Allahu Akbar!" Just The News reported the same detail from the police account.
Beckstrom was 20. Wolfe was 24. Both had deployed to Washington as part of President Donald Trump's law-enforcement surge in the nation's capital, which began the previous summer. Lakanwal, a resident of Bellingham, Washington, was shot during the confrontation and later made his initial court appearance from a hospital bed.
He faces 17 charges, including federal murder, attempted murder, and violations of the D.C. Code. The Justice Department has not announced whether it will seek the death penalty. Pirro addressed the question last year, saying only, "That is a very weighty decision."
Federal courts have grappled with high-stakes cases involving defendants who attempt to derail proceedings through self-harm or refusal of care. In a separate but thematically parallel situation, a military judge's ruling suppressing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's confession illustrated how procedural and medical complications can stall even the most consequential terrorism prosecutions for years.
The practical reality is straightforward. A defendant who starves to death in federal custody never faces trial. The government's interest in keeping Lakanwal alive is not compassion, it is accountability. Beckstrom's family, Wolfe and his recovery, and the public all have a stake in seeing this case reach a courtroom verdict.
Judge Mehta's order reflects a legal system that has long recognized the authority to override a prisoner's refusal of food when life is at risk. Courts have consistently held that the state's interest in preserving a defendant's life for trial can outweigh individual autonomy behind bars. Prosecutors invoked that precedent explicitly in their filing.
The case also sits against a broader backdrop of federal judicial power shaping policy outcomes across the government. In recent months, federal judges have issued orders blocking immigration policies and halting voting-rule changes, but in this case, the judiciary acted to preserve the government's ability to prosecute, not to obstruct executive authority.
Lakanwal's defense team has not indicated whether it will challenge the order or seek modifications before the October 28 expiration. The redacted filings leave significant questions unanswered, including whether Lakanwal's refusal to eat is a protest, a mental health crisis, or something else entirely.
What is clear: a 20-year-old soldier is dead, a 24-year-old staff sergeant was critically wounded, and the man charged with their ambush is alive today because a federal judge decided the justice system's need for a trial outweighs a defendant's wish to stop eating.
Sarah Beckstrom's family deserves a verdict. So does the public. If involuntary feeding is what it takes to get there, so be it.