The next time you hear “Trust us” from the Bush administration when it comes to fighting the war on terrorism, think of Abdallah Higazy.
A federal appeals court ruling issued recently revealed details of how an FBI interrogator is said to have coerced Higazy into confessing to a crime he didn’t commit.
The ruling from the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals gave Higazy the legal footing to sue the FBI over his treatment. A version of the ruling on the court’s website last week was quickly replaced with a redacted version omitting the embarrassing details.
But the early version gave the public a window on the tactics this administration is accused of using to pursue suspected terrorists. It’s another compelling example of why federal lawmakers need to push for oversight and greater disclosure of the methods the administration uses.
It also speaks volumes about the reliability of information obtained from detainees who are put under duress. In other words, people will often tell you whatever you want to hear if you push them hard enough.
Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Higazy found himself faced with a horrible choice. The son of a former Egyptian diplomat, he came to the U.S. to studying engineering at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn.
At the time of the attacks, he was staying at the Millennium Hilton Hotel, across the street from the World Trade Center. He and others were evacuated from the hotel after the attacks. A month later, he came back for his belongings. That’s when he was confronted by federal agents who said they found an aviation radio in his room. The agents thought he used the radio to guide hijackers to the World Trade Center.
Within days, he found himself in a room with an FBI agent who told Higazy if he didn’t cooperate, his brother would be scrutinized and Egyptian security forces would give his family “hell,” treatment that might include torture.
“I knew I couldn’t prove my innocence, and I knew my family was in danger,” Higazy said later. “If I say this device is mine, I’m screwed and my family is going to be safe. If I say this device is not mine, I’m screwed and my family’s in danger. And Agent Templeton made it quite clear that ‘cooperate’ had to mean saying something else other than this device is not mine.”
Higazy confessed. He said the radio was his. It wasn’t true, which became apparent when the real owner of the radio, a pilot, showed up at the hotel to reclaim his equipment. Yet, Higazy spent more than a month in custody after his confession.
While the FBI has not conceded that Higazy’s allegations are true, the appellate court has reinstated the lawsuit against the FBI and the agent.
The allegations provide a strong reminder of why this government must respect its own laws and legal traditions no matter how vital the mission seems at the time.