Va. Man's Challenge to No-Fly List Clears Hurdle

A federal judge is allowing a Virginia man's challenge to being placed on the no-fly list to go forward, three years after he was stranded in Kuwait.

Judge Anthony Trenga ruled Wednesday against government lawyers who wanted the case dismissed. Trenga said that Gulet Mohamed suffers significant harm from his apparent placement on the list and the Constitution gives him the right to challenge his no-fly status.

Mohamed, an Alexandria resident and naturalized U.S. citizen, was 19 when he was detained by Kuwaiti authorities in 2011. Mohamed says he was beaten and interrogated at the behest of the U.S. and denied the right to fly home.

U.S. authorities allowed Mohamed to fly home after his case became public, but Mohamed says he remains on the list without justification.