Sacked FBI agents sue ex-employer, saying they were punished for taking the knee

The group say adopting a gesture used by protesters helped to defuse tensions during a 2020 demonstration.

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In a recently filed lawsuit, the former agents argue that their decision to kneel - adopting a gesture used by demonstrators - helped to deescalate a tense protest situation in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.

The agents believe they were fired on the orders of FBI boss Kash Patel, who is named as a defendant.

Their termination letters accused them of "a lack of impartiality" in their duties, they say. The FBI has declined to comment on the case.

The dozen sacked agents - nine women and three men - say they had been "confronted by a mob" when deployed in the US capital city on 4 June 2020, and were responding to a "dangerous situation" for which they were ill-prepared.