Former Marine Sues FBI over 9/11 Facebook Arrest
Former marine detained over Facebook posts plans to sue FBI (from www.theguardian.co.uk)
Brandon Raub calls experience 'extremely alarming' after he was taken for psychiatric evaluation – but not charged with any crime Brandon Raub drew police attention after posting a hip-hop quote on Facebook which said: 'Sharpen up my axe: I'm here to sever heads.' Photograph: Facebook A former US marine who was taken from his home and involuntarily detained for psychiatric evaluation for posting controversial song lyrics and conspiracy theories on Facebook is to file a civil lawsuit against the FBI and police. Speaking for the first time since his release, after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to detain him, Brandon Raub said his experience was frightening and that it sent a "extremely alarming" message to Americans. His case has sparked vigorous online debate over First Amendment rights versus concerns over security. On Wednesday, a group called Revolution PAC, in support of former presidential candidate Ron Paul, called on Virginia governor Bob McDonnell and attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to apologise to Raub and to make public all communications related to the incident. Raub, 26, a former combat engineer who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was taken forcibly from his home in Chesterfield County, Virginia, by two FBI agents and police on 16 August. He was not charged with any crime. After talking with FBI agents, he was handcuffed and detained in a psychiatric hospital for seven days before a judge ruled on 23 August that there was not sufficient evidence to keep him there. In an interview posted on a conservative civil liberties website, Raub said: "I'm really tough so I roll with the punches. But it made me scared for my country. The idea that a man can be snatched off his property without being read his rights I think should be extremely alarming to all Americans." One posting said to be of concern was Raub's Facebook post on 13 August, which said: "Sharpen up my axe: I'm here to sever heads", a quote from a song called Bring Me Down by Swollen Members, a Canadian hip-hop band. Other posts focus on conspiracy theories related to 9/11 and talk of an upcoming revolution.
