LAS VEGAS — A security researcher involved with the Wikileaks Web site was detained by U.S. agents at the border for three hours and questioned about the controversial whistleblower project as he entered the country on Thursday to attend a hacker conference, sources said on Saturday.
He was also approached by two FBI agents at the Defcon conference after his presentation on Saturday afternoon about the Tor Project.
Jacob Appelbaum, a Seattle-based programmer for the online privacy protection project called Tor, arrived at the Newark, New Jersey, airport from Holland flight Thursday morning when he was pulled aside by customs and border protection agents who told him he was randomly selected for a security search, according to the sources familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous.
Appelbaum, a U.S. citizen, was taken into a room, frisked and his bag was searched. Receipts from his bag were photocopied and his laptop was inspected but it’s not clear in what manner, the sources said. Officials from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Army then told him he was not under arrest but was being detained, the sources said. They asked questions about Wikileaks, asked for his opinions about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and asked where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is, but he declined to comment without a lawyer present, according to the sources. He was not permitted to make a phone call, they said.
After about three hours, Appelbaum was given his laptop back but the agents kept his three mobile phones, sources said.
Being “detained” at our border is one issue but the requirements for warrants to seize personal property should still apply.
Coming or going from the USA should make little difference in what constitutional rights apply. The fact that it is “convenient” for the government to apply their strong arm at the border is no justification.
USA needs to be sued and sued constantly until this fascist outlook is restricted to the Bill of Rights.
Won’t happen, but it should.
One thing is rights for random people with no association with any criminal matter.
Another thing is being involved and in some kind of business relation to a criminal/criminal action.
Wikileaks released classified documents obtained by treason. To properly prosecute the treason it is necessary to investigate. If another US citizen is arriving back to US after being in business contact with Wikileaks abroad, common sense and the law require that he should be interrogated about it at earliest convenience.
All what this article describes is absolutely legal, common sense and prudent… Law enforcement is enforcing the law… in Obamatime that is a newsworthy story.
He is lucky not to be shipped to Bagram for further questioning… Is he an US citizen ?!
The media are going to focus on the “who done-it” side of this story and ignore the content of the documents.
… and this will make a lot of Bush supporters very happy.
Is that the freedom americans brag about?
For the people that think this is all ok: I hope you burn in a car crash.
Good for them! There is only one word for what WikiLeaks has done and I’m not surprised that anyone has called it for what it is because of the stupid political correctness:
TREASON!!!
Putting Americans at risk while in combat!
The contents of the documents include the names of Afghans who are assisting the US. I suspect some number of them will die as a result of this release.
You’d never suspect that getting OUT OF A WAR was a way to save lives and treasure and finally have to find an actual solution.
Yes, the youngest and best troops that find below poverty wages a proper inducement to defend the USA so that legal first amendment free speech rights may be prosecuted via guilt by association.
Heh, heh. some folks think Patriotism is waving the flag.
Silly Hoomans.
Funny how some of these republicrats pretend to be about freedom and limited government until it’s something that appeals to their inner fascist. Then they’re all about big government and law and order and lots of check points, scanners, unlawful detentions and huge departments of security. Cowards! “government! Please protect me I’m weak and these scary brown people with beards are at the door”.
I guess detention isn’t arrest in the same way that stress positions aren’t torture. What you need to understand is that you don’t live in the same nation as free people. You do not even qualify as human.
Those things are not the primary features of fascism, but point taken.
Come with us, please. You are the 1,000,000 visitor this month! Now take off your clothes and bend over.
Love the doublespeak: “You are NOT under arrest, but you are being detained.”
What is the difference? I suspect detained is worse, because they have to suspect you of a crime to arrest you.
Regarding getting a warrant to take personal belongs. It has already been established that US Customs can seize your digital devices at the border with a warrant, and without a reason. I do believe that they are required to return them, but there has never been established any timeframe.
So as it stands today, US Customs can take your stuff and hold it forever without cause or compensation. Any Congressman who questions this policy will be labeled a terrorist loving traitor and will run out of office.
“Researcher”?????? Are you kidding me? If I break down a bank vault door and steal money does that make me a “building code inspector”? If I break into your computer and steal classified documents, that makes me a “researcher”? And paying for potentially knowingly stolen merchandise in order to have a scoop on said merchandise makes me a “journalist”? Trying to legitimize illegal and criminal activity is just wrong on so many levels, but goes along with my theory that it is now perfectly acceptable for people to think that they have absolutely NO responsibility for anything they do, nothing is wrong, and that nothing is their fault.
More than a year and a half into his administration and Obama needs Wikileaks to get us out of war? Please! That is almost as lame as the idiots who still blame Bush for everything.
As Obama was fond of saying during the campaign, “And you can take that to the bank!”
Let us not forget that Obama is merely carrying out the policies that were put into effect by Bushco, Inc. It seems that Bushco, Inc. is still in charge.