NSA labelled Al-Jazeera journalist as 'suspected terrorist'

Pakistan bureau chief’s name discovered in agency’s top secret files

The US government placed an Al-Jazeera journalist on a watch list of suspected terrorists in the belief that he was a member of Al-Qaida, according to a top-secret document revealed by The Intercept.

Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan, a Syrian national who is Al-Jazeera’s Islamabad bureau chief, reported throughout his career on the Taliban and Al Qaida. He secured several interviews with senior Al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden.