Wait, how can this happen?
Saadiq Long, a Muslim U.S. Air Force veteran who made national headlines after the Department of Homeland Security blocked him from flying to the Middle East, has been reportedly arrested in Turkey for attempting to join ISIS.
In 2013, Long attempted to visit his mother in Oklahoma from his home Qatar. But when he tried to fly to the United State, he was informed that he was on the no-fly list. Long managed to visit his mother by driving down to Mexico and flying out there, but the United States blocked his return for months.
His case quickly became a cause célèbre on the left. “US Muslim placed on no-fly list is unable to see his ailing mother” reported The Guardian’s Glenn Greenwald. The Council of American-Islamic Relations touted his case and wrote no less than 22 articles on Long. Long and CAIR even went on MSNBC to give a softball interview to Chris Hayes.
But yesterday, conservative website PJ Media learned that Long had been arrested along with other members of ISIS. “U.S. and Turkish officials confirmed Long’s arrest to PJ Media, saying that he was arrested along with eight others operating along the Turkish-Syrian border,” they write. “So far, no U.S. media outlet has reported on his arrest.” The Daily Caller’s Chuck Ross also received confirmation from the U.S. government that Long had been arrested.
