Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House in November 2025, has been transferred from prison to hospital after refusing to eat or drink water, according to court records. Federal prosecutors said he was hospitalised around midnight on Wednesday to "preserve his life", following a warning from the U.S. Marshals Service in June that he had been refusing adequate nutrition for an extended period. At an emergency hearing, D.C. District Judge Amit Mehta described his condition as "dire" and "self-inflicted".

Lakanwal, 30, is accused of killing West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and severely wounding Guardsman Andrew Wolfe. He faces 17 charges, the most serious being a first-degree murder charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty, and he pleaded not guilty to all counts on 16 June 2026. In a recent filing, prosecutors noted a protective order had prevented the government from accessing his medical records, but the judge ruled they were entitled to view his records and speak with his treatment providers for the duration of his hospitalisation.