Two journalists, who say they were added to the government’s terrorist “kill list” by mistake, are suing President Trump and other U.S. officials to be removed, Politico reported.
In the lawsuit, former Al Jazeera Islamabad bureau chief Ahmad Zaidan and freelance journalist Bilal Kareem claim that although they were placed on the list by the Obama White House, the decision to keep them on the list has been maintained by the Trump administration.
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, names President Trump, Defense Secretary James Mattis, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions as defendants, among others.
Both journalists deny having any connection to terrorist groups. They say they were put on the list after being flagged by “flawed” computer algorithms. Their placement on the “kill-list,” they argue, violates due process as well as international law.
Both Kareem — a U.S. citizen who’s done reporting from Syria — and Zaidan — a Syrian and Pakistani citizen — have reported from war zones. Karim said he nearly died in five different airstrike attacks. Zaiden has interviewed Osama bin Laden.
Zeiden says the designation forced him to leave Pakistan and his job and move to Qatar. Kareem is thought to be reporting from Syria.
The suit could face challenges in court as other similar suits have been dismissed in the past.
The White House did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.