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Challenge To 'No-Fly List' Screening Begins In San Francisco Federal Court

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)—A closely-watched federal trial challenging the government's secret practice of putting travelers on no-fly lists begins on Monday in San Francisco.

Rahinah Ibrahim, a 48-year-old formal doctoral student from Stanford University, was flying home to Malaysia with her 14-year-old daughter in January 2005 when she was detained by security officials at the San Francisco International Airport.

High-Profile Federal Trial In San Francisco To Shed Light On 'No-Fly List' Practice

Ibrahim was arrested was informed that she had been flagged as a suspected terrorist based on information from government databases.

Eight years later, Ibrahim's lawsuit challenging no-fly lists begins in federal court Monday in San Francisco.

The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on the case but TSA spokesman Nico Melendez recently told KCBS that they have tried to move away from "one-size-fits-all" security practices.

"We know that some passengers do not pose the same risk as other passengers, so those that we have information on, those that have traveled frequently, they can be identified and they can be selected for expedited screening because they do pose less of a risk than some of the passengers."

According to the San Jose Mercury News, similar lawsuits are unfolding in other courts but Ibrahim's claims are the first to reach the public spotlight and could shed light on the no-fly list program.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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