Colorado Terror Suspect Is First to Challenge Warrantless NSA Surveillance in Court
Patrick Semansky/AP file photo
Muhtorov was accused of aiding an Islamist militant group overseas.
Jamshid Muhtorov, an Uzbeki man who moved to Colorado in 2007 as a political refugee, is challenging the U.S. government for relying on communication gathered without a warrant to arrest him in 2012. Muhtorov was accused of aiding an Islamist militant group overseas.
According to Muhtorov's defense team, an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the FISA Amendment Act of 2008 (FAA) allowed the NSA to track Muhtorov's communications without a warrant, in violation of his constitutional rights. This is the first time someone has brought a case against the NSA for its dragnet surveillance practices, and its outcome could set an important precedent for how U.S. spying cases are handled in the future.
Muhtorov, 37, was able to bring his case to court because he was also the first to be notified that evidence against him was authorized by the FAA law.