Student sues TSA, saying he was detained for five hours over English-Arabic flashcards
A Pomona College student who takes Arabic classes in school was stopped by TSA and FBI agents at the Philadelphia International Airport because he was carrying English-Arabic flashcards; the student, backed by the ACLU, is suing, charging that he abusively interrogated, handcuffed, and detained for five hours; TSA says the student’s behavior was erratic
A Pomona College student filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that he was abusively interrogated, handcuffed, and detained for five hours at Philadelphia International Airport in August because he carried a set of English-Arabic flashcards as part of his college language studies.
Washington Post’s Spence Hsu writes that Nicholas George, 22, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its Pennsylvania chapter, charged that three Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, two Philadelphia police officers, and two FBI agents violated his constitutional rights to free speech and freedom from unreasonable seizure.
Representatives of the FBI and TSA said they would not comment on pending litigation.
A U.S. government official familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the case, told Hsu that TSA officers observed George’s “anomalous” behavior before he entered the checkpoint, that his “erratic” conduct escalated upon screening and was one of other unspecified factors that led officers to call police to investigate further.
“I want TSA agents to do their job to keep flights safe,” George said in a statement released by the ACLU. “No one should be treated like a criminal for simply learning one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world.”
“Arresting and restraining passengers who pose no threat to flight safety and are not breaking any law not only violates people’s rights, but it won’t make us any safer,” said Ben Wizner, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project added.
According to the suit, George, a college senior from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, majoring in physics and Middle Eastern studies, was returning to school when TSA screeners saw his flashcards. A supervisor asked him his views on the 9/11 attacks, whether he knew who carried them out, and what language Osama bin Laden spoke, adding, “Do you see why these cards are suspicious?” the suit alleged.
FBI agents asked George whom he met during his travels, which include a semester as an exchange student in Jordan and visits to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Under questioning, George said he was not a terrorist, a communist, Muslim, or a member of any campus “pro-Islamic group.” FBI agents told him he was not a real threat and released him, George’s suit states.
