Jordan MacTaggart has died.
Most people have never heard of MacTaggart, but in the month since his death fighting for the Kurdish paramilitary in Syria, MacTaggart has become an icon for many of the more militant leftists worldwide. He is considered the first American anarchist to die fighting for the Kurds.
FBI files become available to the public upon the death of the relevant person. MacTaggart was killed in early August in the fighting surrounding the city of Manbij. I filed a public records request for his FBI file on August 9th.
While many Americans have joined the Kurdish paramilitaries in fighting ISIS, it’s not clear whether such activity is within the law. The response to my request for MacTaggart’s FBI file won’t shed light on the matter, either.
It was rejected.
This seems to indicate, firstly, that the FBI has kept a file on Jordan MacTaggart. And clearly the FBI is not considering a case post mortem against MacTaggart.
Yet they say the records are necessary to a “pending or prospective” law enforcement investigation.
What that investigation is is anyone’s guess.
Read the full rejection embedded below, or on the request page.
Image via @DrPartizan_
