Maher Arar, the Canadian citizen sent to Syria in 2002 for torture by the United States following a tip-off from the Canadians, has gotten an apology and millions of dollars from the Canadian government, but the United States still claims he's a security threat. The discrepancy highlights the problems with a secret watchlist, according to UPI's Shaun Waterman.
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One federal official not authorized to speak to the media told United Press International that there had been an interagency dispute over whether to remove Arar from the watch-list, with the State Department advocating his removal and other agencies digging in their heels.
A spokesman for the State Department, Eric Watnick, declined to comment on interagency issues and officials at the Justice Department and FBI declined to enlarge on the letter, citing an ongoing lawsuit in which Arar is seeking damages.
Another federal official told UPI that complaints about watch-listing, whether they came from individuals, other government departments, or even other governments, were all dealt with by a team at the interagency Terrorist Screening Center.
Officials there would review what intelligence professionals call the "derogatory information" -- the intelligence reporting which led the relevant agency to nominate the individual for watch-listing.
Full story. Photo: Max Warren
