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Here’s why Obama admin put Abdul El-Sayed’s sister-in-law on terror watch list as Senate hopeful claims ‘she did nothing wrong’

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Cite

King, R. (2026, October 19). Here’s why Obama admin put Abdul El-Sayed’s sister-in-law on terror watch list as Senate hopeful claims ‘she did nothing wrong’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/19/us-news/heres-why-obama-admin-put-abdul-el-sayeds-sister-in-law-on-terror-watch-list-amid-claim-she-did-nothing-wrong/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-19 · by Ryan King

Quick Summary

Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for Michigan Senate, is defending his sister-in-law Mariam Jukaku after it was revealed she was placed on a federal Terrorist Screening Database during the Obama administration. Jukaku was one of several plaintiffs in a 2016 lawsuit against the government over being wrongly labeled as suspected terrorists; the case was dismissed in 2017. El-Sayed told Fox News that Jukaku “did nothing wrong” and was cleared through legal action. The article discusses how individuals on terror watchlists often lack due process, with many unaware of their status until they face travel restrictions or security screenings.
Written by AI on 2026-10-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, confirmed over the weekend that his sister-in-law Mariam Jukaku was involved in a lawsuit challenging her alleged placement on the federal Terrorist Screening Database during the Obama administration. During an interview with Fox News, El-Sayed acknowledged the court documents and defended Jukaku, stating she "did nothing wrong" and successfully challenged her inclusion on the list. The revelation comes days before Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign for El-Sayed in Detroit. According to the lawsuit, which was supported by attorneys from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Jukaku's boarding pass was stamped with "SSSS" when she attempted to board a flight out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in 2012, indicating her designation as a "known or suspected terrorist." The federal government typically does not confirm or deny such listings. While an initial ruling favored the plaintiffs, an appeals court overturned that decision in 2021, and a separate damages case was dismissed.

Written for “Sister-In-Law Terror Watchlist Controversy” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Sister-In-Law Terror Watchlist Controversy
Politics · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Democrat star admits family's terror watchlist ties ahead of planned campaign rally with Obama: 'She did nothing wrong' Same event
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Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 69/100
How CBS News’ Middle East war spread to the Upper Midwest Different event
Semafor
Hedges 6 of 47 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss different family members of Abdul El-Sayed related to potential political controversies, with Article A focusing on his half-sister and Article B on his sister-in-law.”
El-Sayed erupts at GOP rival over Muslim Brotherhood accusations in fiery Senate debate Different event
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Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's political campaign, with Article A focusing on his sister-in-law and the terrorist watchlist and Article B on a debate where he denies ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Abdul El-Sayed lashes out during grilling on family’s ties to Muslim Brotherhood: ‘Are you serious?’ Different event
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Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different issues related to Abdul El-Sayed's campaign, one involving his family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and the other about his sister-in-law being on a terror watch list.”
Abdul El-Sayed remains close to terror-linked mother despite best efforts to hide her from campaign Different event
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⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 6 of 66 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's family connections to terrorism allegations, with Article A focusing on his birth mother and Article B on his sister-in-law.”
‘What are you implying?’: El-Sayed confronts critics head-on as attacks ramp up Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 51 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A focuses on El-Sayed's response about his sister-in-law being on a terrorist watchlist, while Article B discusses El-Sayed confronting critics regarding Islamophobic attacks and defending his positions.”
Abdul El-Sayed’s denial on Muslim Brotherhood ties provides opening for Mike Rogers Different event
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's political situation, one focusing on his denial of family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and the other on his sister-in-law being on a terrorist watch list.”
Trump links Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to Muslim Brotherhood: 'He's a con man' Different event
Fox News
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different incidents involving Abdul El-Sayed: one about Trump linking him to the Muslim Brotherhood and another about his sister-in-law being on a terrorist watch list.”
Controversy over Abdul El-Sayed's family ties to Muslim Brotherhood ignored, downplayed by liberal media Different event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 6 of 39 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Abdul El-Sayed's family ties to alleged Islamist activities, with Article A focusing on his half-sister and Article B on his sister-in-law.”
Michigan Democrat confirms sister-in-law's terror watchlist lawsuit days before Obama campaign appearance Different event
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles mention Abdul El-Sayed's acknowledgment of his sister-in-law being involved in a lawsuit over her placement on a terror watchlist, they describe different aspects of the same topic and are not reporting on a single specific occurrence.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Ryan King
121 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Top of the agenda will be preventing the Dec. 11 government shutdown, attempting to pass the so-called “reconciliation 3.0” package to plus up the Pentagon’s budget, and confirming President Trump’s nominees.
2026-11-05 · assertive framing · GOP braces for mad dash to push conservative bills through Congress before Dem takeover
🔮 WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson told his staff Wednesday that he will not vie to be minority leader in the next session of Congress after Republicans suffered a generational midterm wipeout, multiple sources on his team told The Post.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Mike Johnson won’t run for minority leader after Republicans lose House majority
🔮 Democrat Abdul El-Sayed pulled off a stunning defeat over Republican Mike Rogers in the crucial Michigan Senate contest, shattering conventional wisdom that a hard-left candidate couldn’t win a purple battleground.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Far left Dem Abdul El-Sayed defies bitter party mutiny to rout Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race
🔮 To cap off a difficult week for Miller, the congressman’s trial in his custody fight will kick off on Thursday.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · GOP Rep. Max Miller ousted in Ohio after nasty custody battle with senator’s daughter took over campaign
🔮 “People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they really probably weren’t willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Trump downplays midterm shellacking — and hints at plans for cabinet
🔮 The son of one popular Republican governor and the brother of another, the GOP nominee was accused by Pappas of trying to trick voters into thinking they were backing Sununu’s younger sibling, Chris, by distributing yard signs reading “Sununu Senator.” “Look, if people thought they were voting for me, my brother would be up by 30 points.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Chris Pappas halts Sununu comeback in New Hampshire, makes Senate history
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2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Democrat Jon Ossoff easily beats ‘memer’ GOP Rep. Mike Collins to hold Georgia Senate seat
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🔮 Some GOP insiders believe her decision, which came after months of her struggling over Abdul El-Sayed’s lefty agenda, could help Rogers eke out a win in a blue wave year, because it could persuade moderates to follow suit.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Why Haley Stevens backing Mike Rogers is a painful lesson for El-Sayed: ‘Hurt people, hurt people’
🔮 “The notion somehow that you are going to prevent your child from being exposed to something that you may find disagreeable, and that that is going to be because of school, is so profoundly outdated.
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · El-Sayed defends trans athletes in girls’ sports: ‘We manufacture these social issues’
Also by Ryan King
GOP braces for mad dash to push conservative bills through Congress before Dem takeover
2026-11-05 · New York Post
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2026-11-04 · New York Post
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2026-11-04 · New York Post
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 121 articles by Ryan King →

Topics

Fox News Michigan Senate WASHINGTON the Council on American-Islamic Relations

Subjects

Jukaku PERSON · 6× El-Sayed PERSON · 4× Fox News ORG · 2× Abdul El-Sayed PERSON · 1× El-Sayed’s PERSON · 1× Mariam Jukaku PERSON · 1× Michigan GPE · 1× Obama PERSON · 1× Senate ORG · 1× WASHINGTON GPE · 1×

Narrative

“You’ve got this system where folks are guilty until proven innocent because they’ve got different kinds of names, because of the infrastructure that people like Mike Rogers set up,” the Dem candidate added to Fox News, referring to his GOP foe.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 “You assume, Tommy, that because I am Muslim, that somehow, I would have allegiance to something that is not our Constitution,” he said.
2026-10-19 · New York Post
Here’s why Obama admin put Abdul El-Sayed’s sister-in-law on terror watch list as Senate hopeful claims ‘she did nothing wrong’ · assertive framing

Claims (22 extracted, 3 hedged)

Far-left Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed is insisting that his sister-in-law “did nothing wrong” amid revelations that she was supposedly placed on a terrorist watchlist by the Obama administration over a decade ago. asserted
she → insist → administration
Mariam Jukaku, the sister of El-Sayed’s wife, was a plaintiff in a 2016 lawsuit involving her and more than a dozen others who were placed on a federal Terrorism Screening Database. asserted
who → involve → Database
“She did nothing wrong and was captured on that and then sued and got off,” El-Sayed told Fox News when asked Saturday night. asserted
Sayed → do → News
While the federal government typically refrains from confirming or denying whether someone is on a terror watchlist or why, Jukaku was a plaintiff in a suit championed by attorneys with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). asserted
Jukaku → refrain → Relations
In 2012, while she was attempting to board a flight out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Jukaku had her boarding pass stamped with the “SSSS” or Secondary Security Screening Selection designation, “indicating that she had been designated as a ‘known or suspected terrorist,'” according to the suit. “While passing through security, she was subjected to extensive searches, pat-downs and chemical testing,” she added. uncertain
she → attempt → searches
Being on a terror watchlist doesn’t indicate someone committed a crime. asserted
someone → indicate → crime
Although the exact reason for her alleged placement on the federal Terrorism Screening Database wasn’t specified, Jukaku was an editor at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Al-Talib, according to the Los Angeles Times and Daily Bruin. uncertain
Jukaku → allege → Times
Three key advertisers for the publication were allegedly “shut down” by the feds due to suspected terrorist ties, according to the report. uncertain
advertisers → shut → report
Jukaku was described as being outspoken about that at the time. asserted
Jukaku → describe → time
In 2007, Jukaku also had a run-in with law enforcement while in grad school at Syracuse University over her decision to take pictures of federal facilities, the Federalist reported. asserted
Federalist → have → facilities
The 2016 lawsuit was a class action case against Uncle Sam, seeking damages. asserted
lawsuit → seek → damages
Ultimately, the two sides agreed to dismiss it in 2017. asserted
sides → agree → 2017
There was also a second suit seeking an injunction against the government that initially notched a victory, before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision in 2021. asserted
Court → be → 2021
The Post was unable to contact Jukaku for comment, but reached out to attorneys who worked the case and El-Sayed’s campaign. asserted
who → contact → case
“You’ve got this system where folks are guilty until proven innocent because they’ve got different kinds of names, because of the infrastructure that people like Mike Rogers set up,” the Dem candidate added to Fox News, referring to his GOP foe. asserted
candidate → get → foe
Critics have argued that terror watchlists often lack any semblance of due process, with many of the individuals placed on them unaware that they are on them. asserted
they → argue → them
During his bruising battle against Rogers, El-Sayed has taken heat over his family’s ties to various Islamic groups. asserted
Sayed → take → groups
The Muslim Brotherhood, which is known for its radical offshoots such as Hamas, has been designated a terrorist organization by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — though not the US. asserted
which → know → Egypt
Yeah, absolutely,” El-Sayed replied before casting aspersions on the question. asserted
Sayed → reply → question
“You assume, Tommy, that because I am Muslim, that somehow, I would have allegiance to something that is not our Constitution,” he said. asserted
he → assume → something
“That’s implicit in the question.” asserted
That → ’ → question
The Michigan Senate hopeful invoked the skepticism that John F. Kennedy faced over his Catholic faith when he ran for president in 1960. asserted
he → invoke → 1960
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