US judge rules in favour of Palestinian-American activist after phone seizure

US judge rules in favour of Palestinian-American activist after phone seizure

A US federal judge this week ruled in favour of a prominent Palestinian-American academic and activist in a decision that deemed the search and seizure of his phones by customs officers to be illegal.

Osama Abu Irshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), had his phones taken from him and searched at Washington Dulles International Airport on two occasions in 2024, upon his return from trips to the Middle East. 

On Wednesday, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia determined that Abu Irshaid was indeed entitled to his Fourth Amendment claim, because "the evidence marshaled by Defendants... does not rise to the level of reasonable suspicion" of ongoing criminal activity, the decision read. 

Read more: US judge rules in favour of Palestinian-American activist after phone seizure

Executive director of American Muslims for Palestine, Osama Abu Irshaid, speaks at a rally for Palestinian rights in an undated photo (Facebook/Osama Abu Irshaid) ...