FBI seizes Jalil Afridi Press Badge Outside State Department

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F.P Report

Washington, D.C. – Veteran journalist Muhammad Jalil Afridi, Managing Editor of The Frontier Post, is calling for an investigation after being briefly detained by ICE and then having his official State Department press credential seized by FBI agents—just moments after attending a press briefing at the U.S. State Department.

The incident occurred directly outside the State Department building in Washington, D.C., where Afridi had just exited a regularly scheduled press event on Tuesday June 24, 2025. FBI agents, who were present during his detainment, confiscated his press badge on the spot. No charges were filed against him, and no explanation was given for the seizure of his credentials.

Afridi, a U.S.-educated journalist with over 25 years of reporting experience and no criminal history, has long attended press briefings at the White House, Pentagon, and State Department. He believes the actions taken against him are politically motivated retaliation tied to his critical reporting.

Afridi has frequently criticized the Trump administration’s foreign policy approach toward Pakistan, particularly what he sees as a flawed preference for building ties with Pakistan’s military establishment over its civilian leadership. He has warned that this policy undermines democratic progress and fuels internal instability in the region.

In addition, Afridi has raised public concerns about the involvement of Donald Trump Jr. and the son of real estate developer Steve Witkoff in launching a cryptocurrency business in Pakistan. He alleges that the initiative could open financial pathways for Pakistan and Afghanistan’s estimated $10 billion narcotics trade to be funneled through crypto transactions, effectively masking illicit flows under the pretext of digital finance.

“I was released without charges, yet the FBI took away my press credentials immediately after taking me into custody,” Afridi stated in formal appeals to the FBI, the State Department, the Department of Justice Inspector General, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. “This is not just a personal attack—it’s a warning shot to all independent journalists.”

Afridi is now seeking full reinstatement of his credentials and an official investigation into what he sees as a dangerous precedent against press freedom in the United States. The FBI’s direct involvement, particularly in the absence of due process, will draw serious concern from media watchdogs.

It is also important to mention here that on June 11 this year, Jalil Afridi had filed a civil case number 1-25-cv-01831 against Tammy Bruce, Spokesperson of US State Department in District Court Washington DC for her conduct during press briefings and threatening journalists to be removed by security staff of the State Department.