FBI Adds People to No Fly List for Refusing to Become Informants
April 23rd, 2014Via: The Guardian:
Naveed Shinwari hasn’t seen his wife in 26 months. He suspects it’s because he refused to become an informant for the FBI.
In February 2012 Shinwari, who has lived in the US since he was 14, flew to Afghanistan to get married. He says that before he could get home to Omaha, Nebraska, he was twice detained and questioned by FBI agents who wanted to know if he knew anything about national security threats. A third FBI visit followed when he got home.
The following month, after Shinwari bought another plane ticket for a temporary job in Connecticut, he couldn’t get a boarding pass. Police told him he had been placed on the US no-fly list, although he had never in his life been accused of breaking any law. Another FBI visit soon followed, with agents wanting to know about the “local Omaha community, did I know anyone who’s a threat”, he says.
“I’m just very frustrated, [and I said] what can I do to clear my name?” recalls Shinwari, 30. “And that’s where it was mentioned to me: you help us, we help you. We know you don’t have a job; we’ll give you money.”
Shinwari is one of four American Muslims in a new lawsuit who accuse the FBI of placing them on the no-fly list, either to intimidate them into becoming informants or to retaliate against them for declining.
It may have something to do with others that share his name (assuming this isn’t him).
http://www.understandingfata.org/files/Understanding-FATA-Vol-IV.pdf
[PDF, 179 pages]
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/naveed-ahmad-shinwari/31/522/66b
The author Shinwari, would likely have lots of intelligence to share. I’m not implying anything about his allegiances. I only know what I learned from skimming a few pages of the book and LinkedIn profile.
We already know the no-fly lists are soundex matches on names. An exact first and last name match would definitely match. Maybe he can get his name changed to “John Smith”. It’ll be a lot easier than trying to get off the no-fly lists.
I think that one of the largest conspiracies is the one that suggests that those in power are incompetent. That said, I don’t think anyone who deals with the no-fly list is in a position of power.
I was harassed by the TSA for years and it stopped as soon as I changed my name. I suspect that their system really is that stupid. If I had known before I would have changed my name a lot earlier.
@JWSmythe – I think you nailed it.