A paralyzed Lebanese-American is fighting in court to get off the federal no-fly list aimed at combating terrorism.
Jamal Rizk, a 54-year-old Dearborn Heights resident, says he couldn't board flights from Detroit Metro Airport to Lebanon on Sept. 30 and Nov. 5, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Rizk says he has no criminal history and wants to visit his birthplace for stem cell treatments unavailable here. Rizk, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 1984, became paralyzed after being shot by a robber during a 2004 gas station holdup, according to the newspaper.
Attorney Nabih Ayad tells Niraj Warikoo of the Free Press that he filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Justice because his client's constitutional rights are being violated.
"Free and unabridged access to commercial air travel is an integral component to a citizen's modern exercise of their fundamental rights to movement and travel," the lawsuit says.
The agencies declined the newspaper's request for comments.
