A judge said Friday he wanted to ensure that a hospitalized man accused of attempting to help the terrorist group ISIS was eating voluntarily before letting him return to Santa Ana to await trial.
Muhanad Elfatih M.A. Badawi, 24, of Anaheim, was indicted in May along with another man on charges of bank fraud and attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordered the force-feeding of Badawi because he had stopped eating and had dropped 3 pounds since the previous week. He also ripped out an IV while hospitalized in Los Angeles last weekend.
However, Badawi resumed eating on his own two days ago after Carter allowed him to meet with his mother and siblings in a secure area of the courthouse.
Carter said he wanted to be certain that Badawi would continue to willingly consume food before sending him back to an Orange County pretrial detention center.
The judge said he would keep Badawi under observation in Los Angeles through early next year before making a decision. Carter also scheduled a further status conference for at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The indictment alleges that during April and May, Nader Salem Elhuzayel, 25, also of Anaheim, operated a scheme to rip off three banks by depositing stolen checks into his personal checking accounts and then withdrawing cash from automated teller machines.
Investigators alleged in a criminal complaint that Badawi and Elhuzayel discussed via social media terrorist attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, as well as their desire to martyr themselves.
The pair are accused of trying to arrange for Elhuzayel to leave the country and join ISIS, according to federal prosecutors.
If convicted as charged, the men each would face up to 15 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
A June trial date is scheduled, and Carter said he is committed to keeping it and does not want to sever the case from Badawi’s co-defendant.
Badawi had been fasting irregularly, causing his weight to drop from about 140 pounds to about 105 earlier this week.
The judge heard Friday that the defendant’s weight had increased to nearly 120 in recent days.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am,” Carter said.
— City News Service