U-S citizen may have right to fight Saudi detention
WASHINGTON A federal judge is ordering government officials to prove whether or not they urged Saudi Arabia to arrest a U-S citizen. It's believed to be the first challenge to the government's position that Americans being held outside of the country can't access U-S courts.
The man, Ahmed Abu Ali, is being held on suspected links to terrorism. He's been detained for more than a year.
However, his family says he was only arrested at Washington's request. Family members say the government wants to keep him there so he'll be tortured and denied his constitutional rights.
The U-S government tried to link Abu Ali to other men who were convicted of undergoing terrorist training in the U-S. However Abu Ali was not charged in that case.
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