British Home Office Defends Miranda Detention on National Security Grounds

Miranda Sues Over Unlawful Detention, Confiscations

Glenn Greenwald’s partner David Miranda has reportedly filed a civil suit against the British government for his nine hour detention under the “Terrorism Act,” as well as demanding the return of assorted electronics, including his cell phone, camera, DVDs and video games which were confiscated by the British police.

Miranda’s detention has already fueled a major backlash, with human rights watchdogs as well as top British parliamentarians insisting the operation overtly abused the Terrorism Act to carry out the bizarre detention.

Incredibly, Home Secretary Theresa May endorsed the operation, insisting that it was totally up to police what they thought was terrorism related, and adding that any of Miranda’s DVDs or video games could’ve conceivable contained information “that could help terrorists,” and therefore his capture and the theft of the materials was legal.

The lawsuit could have major ramifications for journalism in Britain, as if the Terrorism Act really means, as May and others asserts, that police can capture people tangentially related to journalists deemed unfriendly to the state, and take everything they have in their possession “just in case,” the ability of journalists to travel to and from Britain with sensitive documents would be in serious, serious doubt.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.