The complete record

16 incidents matching your filters.

March 2025

Mar 25, 2025Somerville, MA

Plainclothes federal agents arrest Tufts PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk on street

Plainclothes Department of Homeland Security agents arrested Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk on a Somerville, Massachusetts sidewalk on March 25, 2025 and transferred her to an ICE facility in Louisiana. Her visa had been revoked in connection with an op-ed she co-authored in the Tufts student newspaper about Israel-Gaza.

FBI Contact#ICE#DHS

Verified

Mar 17, 2025Arlington, VA

ICE detains Georgetown postdoctoral scholar Badar Khan Suri over social media speech

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was arrested by ICE outside his Virginia home on March 17, 2025. DHS cited his social media activity and family connections, invoking the same foreign-policy removal provision used against Mahmoud Khalil.

FBI Contact#ICE#DHS

Verified

Mar 8, 2025New York, NY

ICE arrests Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil over pro-Palestinian campus activism

Department of Homeland Security agents arrested Columbia University graduate and lawful permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil at his university-owned apartment in New York on March 8, 2025, citing his prominent role in pro-Palestinian campus protests. He was transferred to an ICE facility in Louisiana and the government invoked a rarely used foreign-policy removal provision.

FBI Contact#ICE#DHS

April 2024

Developing

Apr 15, 2024United States, US

Retired U.S. Army officer alleges FBI inquiry over social media posts criticizing Israel policy

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Asad Khan and civil rights advocates alleged that FBI agents sought to question him regarding social media posts criticizing U.S. and Israeli policy related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. The incident became part of a broader national debate over government scrutiny of online political expression and whether lawful criticism of foreign policy should trigger federal law enforcement attention.

FBI Contact#Free Speech#FBI

March 2024

Verified

Mar 29, 2024Oklahoma, OK

FBI visit to Oklahoma resident over Facebook posts about Israel-Gaza conflict

Oklahoma resident Rolla Abdeljawad said FBI agents visited her home regarding Facebook posts connected to political commentary about the Israel-Gaza conflict. Video of the interaction later circulated widely online after agents allegedly stated they conduct similar visits "every day, all day long." The incident sparked public debate over free speech, government monitoring of online activity, and whether lawful social media commentary should trigger law enforcement scrutiny.

FBI Contact#Free Speech#FBI

Verified

Mar 19, 2024Stillwater, OK

FBI Agents Visit Oklahoma Muslim Woman Over Pro-Palestinian Social Media Posts

On March 19, 2024, three FBI agents visited the home of Rolla Abdeljawad, a Muslim political lecturer in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to question her about her social media posts supporting Palestinian rights. She filmed the encounter, which went viral; her attorney called the visit an act of intimidation targeting protected First Amendment speech.

FBI Contact#biden-admin#fbi-visit

August 2023

Verified

Aug 29, 2023Atlanta, GA

Georgia attorney general indicts 61 'Stop Cop City' activists under RICO statute

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr obtained a 109-page RICO indictment in August 2023 against 61 people associated with opposition to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, citing protest activity, bail-fund organizing, and zine distribution as predicate acts. Civil liberties groups described it as the largest protest-related RICO case in U.S. history.

FBI Contact#Protest#RICO

September 2022

Verified

Sep 23, 2022Kintnersville, PA

FBI conducts armed raid on Pennsylvania pro-life activist Mark Houck's home

On September 23, 2022, FBI agents executed an arrest warrant at the suburban Philadelphia home of pro-life sidewalk counselor Mark Houck on FACE Act charges arising from a shoving incident at a Planned Parenthood. A federal jury acquitted him in January 2023.

FBI Contact#FBI#FACE Act

June 2022

Developing

Jun 1, 2022Various, UT

Utah teen visited by Secret Service after TikTok joke about President Biden

In multiple 2021-2023 incidents reported in local press, U.S. Secret Service agents visited the homes of teenagers and young adults after viral TikTok posts referencing the president; in several cases agents conducted brief interviews and left without further action.

FBI Contact#Secret Service#TikTok

September 2021

Verified

Sep 29, 2021United States, US

School board controversy sparks federal involvement and free speech concerns

In 2021, the National School Boards Association sent a letter to the Biden administration requesting federal assistance regarding threats and intimidation directed at school officials. The controversy intensified after the Department of Justice directed federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to coordinate responses to reported threats against school personnel. Critics argued the actions risked chilling lawful parental participation and speech at school board meetings, while supporters maintained the measures were intended to address credible threats of violence. The debate led to congressional investigations, public hearings, and continued national discussion regarding free speech, parental involvement, and federal law enforcement's role in local education disputes.

FBI Contact#Parents#School Boards

June 2021

Verified

Jun 22, 2021Ashburn, VA

Father arrested at Loudoun County school board meeting later cited in NSBA letter

Scott Smith was arrested for disorderly conduct at a June 22, 2021 Loudoun County, Virginia school board meeting after speaking about his daughter's assault. His arrest was among incidents cited in the National School Boards Association's September 2021 letter asking the federal government to treat threats against school officials as 'domestic terrorism.'

FBI Contact#School Board#Parent Speech

January 2021

Verified

Jan 15, 2021Tallahassee, FL

Florida man arrested by FBI over anti-militia Facebook and Instagram posts after Jan. 6

Daniel Baker, an Air Force veteran in Tallahassee, was arrested by FBI agents on January 15, 2021 after posting online a 'call to arms' urging counter-protesters to confront armed right-wing demonstrators expected at state capitols. He was convicted of transmitting threats under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c) and sentenced to 44 months.

FBI Contact#FBI#Facebook

June 2015

Verified

Jun 1, 2015Bethlehem, PA

Elonis v. United States: Supreme Court reverses Facebook 'rap lyric' threat conviction

Anthony Elonis was convicted under a federal threats statute for violent rap-style Facebook posts about his estranged wife, coworkers, and an FBI agent. In June 2015, the Supreme Court reversed 8-1, holding that negligence as to whether posts would be perceived as threats is insufficient to sustain a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 875(c).

FBI Contact#FBI#Facebook

May 2013

Verified

May 1, 2013Methuen, MA

Massachusetts high schooler charged with terrorism for rap lyrics on Facebook

Methuen, Massachusetts high school senior Cameron D'Ambrosio was arrested in May 2013 and charged with communicating terroristic threats after posting original rap lyrics on Facebook that referenced the Boston Marathon bombing. A grand jury declined to indict and he was released after about a month in jail.

FBI Contact#Facebook#Rap Lyrics

February 2013

Verified

Feb 13, 2013New Braunfels, TX

Texas teen jailed for months over sarcastic Facebook comment about video game

Austin teenager Justin Carter was arrested in February 2013 and held in jail for nearly five months on a terroristic threat charge after a sarcastic Facebook comment made during an argument over the video game League of Legends. The comment was followed by 'lol' and 'jk.' Charges were eventually dismissed in 2018.

FBI Contact#Facebook#Online Speech

August 2012

Verified

Aug 16, 2012Chesterfield County, VA

FBI and Secret Service detain Marine veteran Brandon Raub over Facebook posts

In August 2012, FBI agents, Secret Service agents, and Chesterfield County police questioned former U.S. Marine Brandon Raub at his Virginia home over song lyrics and political commentary he posted on Facebook, then committed him to a psychiatric facility under an emergency custody order. A circuit judge ordered him released a week later, ruling the petition contained no factual basis.

FBI Contact#FBI#Secret Service