Brooklyn
Two men caught in a dragnet shortly after 9/11 filed a lawsuit this week saying that they had been abused by federal agents. Pakistani Javaid Iqbal and Ehab Elmaghraby, an Egyptian, were held for months in a Brooklyn jail, where the Justice Department last year uncovered widespread mistreatment of prisoners. Justice officials have been investigating several employees, but declined to comment on the lawsuit. Iqbal and Elmaghraby said they were frequently punched and cursed as “bastard Muslims.” Elmaghraby said an agent once inserted a flashlight into his rectum during a body-cavity search. “I was in life,” he said, “and I went to hell.” Both men were released in 2002 and deported, after pleading guilty to minor crimes unrelated to terrorism.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Donald Trump's jumbo-sized corruption | May 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday's editorial cartoons feature artificial intelligence, Democratic attempts to reach rural voters, a tariff deal with Xi Jinping, the U.S. economy, tariffs, and habeas corpus.
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Zack Polanski: the 'eco-populist' running for Green Party leaderIn The Spotlight 'Insurgent' party deputy is making a bid to take the Greens further to the left
