He Declined FBI Informant Offer, Then His Life Was Ruined

Ahmed, whose full name is being withheld at Khan's request and who did not respond to requests for comment, had shared every moment of his life with Khan since they were kids.

The slow unraveling of Khan's personal life had begun almost a decade before, with a sudden visit from the FBI. Khan had been an international student attending Northeastern University in Boston to study business management.

Though he cannot prove that he is on a watchlist, let alone know who put him there, Khan could not help but think that his life had been destroyed over a decision taken at a whim by an FBI agent he had met years ago, whose offer to become an informant he had turned down.

As soon as the officers drove away, Khan immediately dialed his aunt to tell her what had happened: that the FBI had picked him up at home, that they were offering him money and perks to work for them as an informant, and that he was scared.

In the presence of Reynolds, whose identity Khan and an attorney later working on the case confirmed, the officers asked Khan all the same questions about his life and background that they had asked at the diner.

A description of this meeting, which also referenced Khan's previous meeting with the FBI at the diner, was obtained years later as part of a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Ahmad, the attorney with CLEAR. The document describes Khan's views as expressed at the meeting about a variety of issues, including details of his life as a student in the United States, relationships with family members, future career plans, as well as his political views.

Any references to terrorism or offers to work as an informant are either not in the documents or concealed by the many redactions, which the FOIA response says were made because the underlying material "Would disclose techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigation." According to Khan, the redactions correlate with those parts of the conversation when the officers switched from mundane questions about life and politics to asking him about specific terrorist groups and attacks.

https://theintercept.com/2021/11/30/fbi-informant-watchlist-reputation-damage/