FBI's fallen Pakistani agent Kamran Faridi put in solitary confinement

LONDON: The family of former Pakistani Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spy Kamran Faridi has claimed he has been put in solitary confinement for 90 days at a US federal jail over a false complaint.

Faridi's family says he is no longer allowed to speak to his them, have access to his legal team, and that he has been subjected to harsh and inhumane jail conditions.

Faridi's wife shared that her husband is being victimised for speaking about his international operations and his role in several high-profile cases on behalf of the FBI over a long period of time — including operations inside Pakistan.

Newly unsealed papers show that Faridi was sentenced in December 2020 by New York District Court on three counts of transmitting a threat to his superior FBI officer, threatening to assault a federal officer and obstruction of justice. He was arrested in March 2020 from his home, bailed and then jailed nearly a year later for seven years.

Papers shared with this reporter show that Faridi is worried that the Indian government wants to get him extradited to India once he finished his seven years jail term.

In a letter addressed to his attorney, Faridi has asked his lawyer to share with him a letter the US government has given to him but which has not been shared with Faridi.

"I refer specifically to a copy of the letter in your possession concerning the Indian government's attempt to seek my extradition from this country's department of state," he asked his lawyer, warning to report him to the bar if he doesn't follow the rules and share the letter with him.

Faridi's family said a US officer had told him about the Indian government's request to hand him over to the South Asian country.

The US Department of Justice and Faridi's lawyer didn't answer questions.

Faridi, 59, was once a veteran FBI spy. He was the architect of the entrapment of Karachi businessman Jabir Motiwala who was arrested in London in August 2018 by Scotland Yard on the US request.

While Motiwala was in a London jail fighting extradition, Karam Faridi handed over evidence to Motiwala's lawyer establishing that Jabir Motiwala was not involved in any illegal activity, but he lied in his statements to the FBI bosses to trap him, and he did so because his FBI bosses had asked him to manufacture the evidence to get Jabir Motiwala arrested at any cost.

While on bail, Faridi travelled to London to appear before an English judge to record his evidence against his former bosses, but the FBI got him arrested at a UK airport and deported to New York, where he was arrested and has been in jail since then. Before taking the flight to London, Faridi had recorded a video statement to Motiwala's lawyer and also handed over evidence electronically, which was produced before the UK High Court's judge hearing the extradition case. Once Kamran Faridi released the evidence, the case against the Karachi businessman collapsed, and the US govt told the UK High Court it was no more interested in Jabir Motiwala's case and dropped all charges. Within days, Jabir Motiwala flew to Pakistan as a free man, and Faridi was jailed for seven years, and now he is in solitary confinement.