Michigan Democrat admits sister-in-law sued over US terror watchlist days before Obama is due to rally with him

Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, had previously denied the claims before confirming the family link. Court records name his wife's sister, Mariam Jukaku, as a plaintiff in a 2016 lawsuit challenging her alleged placement on the federal watchlist. El-Sayed insisted 'she did nothing wrong' and blamed Republican rival Mike Rogers. An appeals court overturned a ruling favouring the plaintiffs in 2021.

Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign with El-Sayed in Detroit on Saturday, October 24.

El-Sayed said people are 'guilty until proven innocent because they've got different kinds of names'.

His birth mother Fatten Elkomy reportedly once worked for a designated terrorist group, court documents show.