Kevin Poulsen reports:
A WikiLeaks supporter and friend of accused leaker Bradley Manning filed a federal lawsuit Friday accusing U.S. border officials of violating his rights by seizing his laptop without a warrant as he re-entered the country from a vacation in Mexico last year.
David Maurice House is one of several Boston-area friends of Manning who were interviewed by federal agents following Manning’s May 2010 arrest. House is also a founding member of the Bradley Manning Support Network, where he sits on the steering committee and does fundraising. He was a frequent visitor of the imprisoned Army private until early March.
The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of Boston, concerns a November 2010 incident in which House was met by U.S. customs agents as he deplaned at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The agents searched House’s bags, then took him to a detention room and questioned him “for an extended period,” according to the lawsuit.
Read more on Threat Level. The ACLU has also issued a press release on the complaint.