Supreme Court won’t hear appeal over FBI abuse claims

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal from a U.S. citizen who tried to sue a group of FBI agents over claims they falsely imprisoned and tortured him for several months in Africa.

The justices on Tuesday left in place lower court rulings that said Amir Meshal can’t go forward with his lawsuit because the alleged conduct took place overseas during a terrorism investigation.

Meshal was born and raised in New Jersey. He says he traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2006 to deepen his understanding of Islam. He was later arrested by local officials in Kenya and turned over to the FBI.

Agents interrogated him and accused him of receiving training from al-Qaida, but he was later released after authorities determined he was not a threat.