“The Secretary Said You’re Not Welcome Here”: Five Years of Abandonment, Then Assault
The Evidence Trail & What We’re Requesting
One of the most important aspects of this investigation is that it is not based on speculation or hearsay. We have documented evidence, multiple witnesses, and a clear trail of what occurred. And we are actively working to obtain additional evidence through legal channels.
This section outlines what evidence currently exists, what evidence should exist at the embassy, and what we are requesting through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and formal complaints.
Evidence That Currently Exists
Category 1: Witness Testimony
Direct Victim Account:
Sgt. Kelvin Blas provided a detailed, contemporaneous account of the November 11, 2025 incident to Covenant for Forgotten Warriors immediately after it occurred. His account includes:
- Specific timeline (arrival at 3:18 PM, guard consultation 3:20-3:40 PM, physical force at approximately 4:20 PM)
- Guard’s name (Abdulai Majeed)
- Exact quotes (“The secretary said you’re not welcome here,” “Next time you won’t even have the chance to come to the premises”)
- Physical details (two-handed chest shove)
- Duration (over one hour total)
- Witness presence (Susan Williams and three other civilians)
Independent Civilian Witness:
Susan Williams, a civilian visitor to the embassy, witnessed the physical contact and verbally objected: “Stop handling him like that.” Her objection demonstrates:
- Physical force was visible to observers
- Physical force was concerning enough to prompt intervention
- She had no prior connection to Sgt. Blas (independent observer)
Ms. Williams’s presence should be documented in embassy visitor logs for November 11, 2025.
Additional Civilian Witnesses:
Three additional civilian visitors observed the incident. Their presence should be documented in embassy visitor logs. These witnesses can corroborate:
- The extended duration of the confrontation
- The physical removal of Sgt. Blas
- The public nature of the incident
Embassy Staff Witness & Confirmation:
Mr. Agawu Raymond, Togolese staff member at the U.S. Embassy, observed the entire incident from inside the building. Two days later, he independently confirmed to a third party:
- “Kelvin was indeed asked to leave the premises because he had no appointment”
- “Someone has been tarnishing the image of the embassy on the internet”
- “From today onward, if Kelvin ever comes to the embassy without holding his American passport in his own hands, he will be arrested or sack”
This confirmation is crucial because it comes from an embassy employee with no obligation to discuss the incident.
Category 2: Documentary Evidence
Sgt. Blas’s U.S. Citizenship Documentation:
- U.S. birth certificate
- Social Security card
- U.S. Army service records (13 years honorable service)
- Documentation of passport confiscation by Togolese authorities (March 2020)
Timeline of 15 Attempts (2020-2025):
Covenant for Forgotten Warriors has maintained detailed records of Sgt. Blas’s attempts to seek embassy assistance, including:
- Dates of contact attempts
- Methods of contact (in-person visits, attempts to reach by phone)
- Responses received (or lack thereof)
- Pattern of systematic denial over five years
FOIA Request Filed November 16, 2025:
Comprehensive Freedom of Information Act request filed with the State Department, requesting all documentation related to the November 11 incident and Sgt. Blas’s case. Includes urgent preservation demand for evidence.
Formal Complaints Filed November 18, 2025:
- Bureau of Diplomatic Security: Complaint regarding use of force against U.S. citizen
- Government Accountability Office: Complaint regarding waste, fraud, and mismanagement
- Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency: Complaint that State OIG blocked our organization from filing complaints
Evidence That Should Exist at the Embassy
If Embassy Lomé has been following proper procedures, the following categories of evidence should exist in embassy records:
CCTV Footage
What should exist: Security camera footage from November 11, 2025, approximately 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, covering the embassy entrance and surrounding areas.
What it would show:
- Sgt. Blas’s arrival and interaction with guard Majeed
- Guard going inside to consult with embassy staff (approximately 20 minutes)
- Extended conversation/standoff (approximately 40 minutes)
- Physical contact between guard and Sgt. Blas
- Susan Williams and other civilian witnesses present
- Mr. Agawu Raymond’s position inside the building observing
- Complete timeline verifying or refuting accounts
Why it matters: CCTV footage would provide objective, timestamped evidence of exactly what occurred. It would either corroborate Sgt. Blas’s account or contradict it. The fact that we must request this footageârather than embassy leadership proactively reviewing itâis itself concerning.
Security Incident Reports
What should exist: Mandatory security incident reports filed with the Regional Security Officer (RSO) and Diplomatic Security headquarters documenting:
- Use of force by guard Majeed against U.S. citizen
- Guard’s written report of the incident
- RSO review and assessment
- Witness statements from Susan Williams, other civilians, and Mr. Agawu Raymond
- Communications with embassy leadership about the incident
- Any post-incident review or corrective actions
Why it matters: If these reports exist, they would provide the embassy’s official account of what occurred and what justifications were offered for the use of force. If these reports do NOT exist despite six witnesses, that indicates deliberate suppression of mandatory documentation.
Consular Case File
What should exist: Complete case file for Kelvin Blas documenting:
- Initial contact in March 2020 regarding passport confiscation
- All subsequent contacts (15 documented attempts over five years)
- Reasons for denial of services at each interaction
- Any communications with Togolese authorities about passport return
- Embassy assessment of case and any actions taken (or not taken)
- Communications between consular staff and embassy leadership
Why it matters: The consular case file should explain why services were denied for five years. If the file shows legitimate reasons for denial, embassy should be able to produce it. If the file shows services were denied without proper justification, that’s evidence of misconduct. If no proper case file exists, that’s evidence of management failure.
Visitor Logs
What should exist: Embassy visitor logs for November 11, 2025, documenting:
- Susan Williams’s presence at the embassy
- Three additional civilian witnesses’ presence
- Times of arrival and departure
- Purpose of visits (if recorded)
Why it matters: Visitor logs would independently corroborate that the civilian witnesses were present during the time frame Sgt. Blas describes. This documentation exists for security purposes and should be readily available.
Communications
What should exist:
- Guard Majeed to Embassy Leadership: Communications during the 20-minute consultation period (3:20-3:40 PM)
- Ambassador’s Secretary: The statement “Kelvin is not welcome here” should be documented
- Internal Staff Discussions: Emails, messages, or meeting notes about the “person tarnishing the embassy’s image online”
- Policy Decision: Communications establishing the threat that Sgt. Blas will be “arrested or sack” if he returns
- Post-Incident Communications: Any discussions among embassy staff about the November 11 incident
Why it matters: These communications would reveal:
- Who authorized the physical removal of Sgt. Blas
- What embassy leadership knew about the incident
- Whether embassy staff coordinated their response to external criticism
- Who decided to threaten Sgt. Blas with arrest
What We’re Requesting Through FOIA
On November 16, 2025, Covenant for Forgotten Warriors filed a comprehensive Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S. Department of State. True Signal Media has filed additional FOIA requests as part of our investigation.
The November 16, 2025 FOIA Request
Requested from: U.S. Department of State
Filed by: Covenant for Forgotten Warriors
Date: November 16, 2025
Documents Requested:
- CCTV Footage: All security camera footage from November 11, 2025, approximately 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, covering the embassy entrance and areas where the incident occurred
- Security Incident Reports: All incident reports filed regarding the November 11, 2025 incident, including:
- Initial incident reports filed by guard Abdulai Majeed
- Regional Security Officer review and assessment
- Reports filed with Diplomatic Security headquarters
- Any supplemental or follow-up reports
- Communications: All communications regarding the November 11, 2025 incident, including:
- Communications between guard Majeed and embassy staff during the 20-minute consultation period
- Communications from or referencing the Ambassador’s Secretary regarding Kelvin Blas
- All emails, messages, or memoranda mentioning Kelvin Blas on or around November 11, 2025
- Visitor Logs: Embassy visitor logs for November 11, 2025, documenting all visitors present during the time period of the incident
- Consular Case File: Complete case file for Kelvin Blas, including:
- All records of contacts with the embassy since March 2020
- All consular officers’ notes and assessments
- All communications with Togolese authorities regarding his case
- All reasons documented for denial of services
- Communications About External Criticism: All communications referencing “online tarnishing” of the embassy’s image, “negative comments,” criticism of the embassy’s handling of Kelvin Blas’s case, or monitoring of external advocacy efforts
- Policy Documents: Any documents establishing or discussing policies regarding:
- When U.S. citizens can be denied access to the embassy
- Requirements for U.S. citizens to possess their passport to receive consular services
- Circumstances under which U.S. citizens can be threatened with arrest for seeking consular services
Preservation Demand
The FOIA request included an urgent preservation demand, which is a formal notice to the agency that they must preserve all relevant evidence and not allow routine deletion or destruction of records.
Why preservation is critical:
- CCTV footage is often automatically deleted after 30-90 days
- Emails may be subject to routine deletion policies
- Once evidence is deleted, it cannot be recovered
- Preservation demand creates legal obligation to retain evidence
The preservation demand puts the State Department on notice that this evidence is subject to legal process and must not be destroyed. If evidence is destroyed after a preservation demand, that can constitute spoliationâdeliberate destruction of evidenceâwhich can result in serious legal consequences.
FOIA Timeline
Under the Freedom of Information Act, agencies have specific deadlines to respond:
- 20 business days: Agency must acknowledge the request and provide an estimated completion date
- Expedited processing: Can be requested for urgent cases (we have requested expedited processing due to evidence preservation concerns)
- Appeals: If the agency denies the request or fails to respond, requesters can appeal within the agency and ultimately to federal court
True Signal Media will be closely tracking the State Department’s response to these FOIA requests. Any delays, denials, or claims that records “don’t exist” will be reported and, if necessary, appealed.
What Happens If Evidence Is “Missing”
There are several possible outcomes when the State Department responds to our FOIA requests:
Scenario 1: Evidence Is Produced
Best case scenario: Embassy properly documented the incident, CCTV footage exists, security reports were filed, and everything will be produced. The evidence will either corroborate Sgt. Blas’s account or provide the embassy’s alternative version of events.
Scenario 2: Some Evidence Exists, Some Doesn’t
Embassy produces some documentation (visitor logs, partial case file) but claims other evidence doesn’t exist or was “routine deleted” (CCTV footage, security reports). This would raise questions about why some records were maintained while others were not.
Scenario 3: Evidence Doesn’t Exist
Embassy claims that despite six witnesses, no security incident reports were filed, no CCTV footage was preserved, no case file was properly maintained. This would itself be evidence of systematic failure to documentâa violation of federal records requirements.
Scenario 4: Evidence Exists But Is Withheld
Embassy claims evidence exists but is exempt from disclosure under FOIA exemptions (national security, law enforcement, privacy). We would then appeal these withholdings and, if necessary, litigate in federal court to obtain the records.
Key Point: Even if the evidence is “missing,” that’s still part of the story.
If embassy staff used force against a U.S. citizen, six people witnessed it, and no incident reports were filedâthat’s the story. The absence of documentation is itself evidence of misconduct.
If CCTV footage was routinely deleted despite a preservation demandâthat’s the story. The destruction of evidence is itself evidence of cover-up.
True Signal Media will report on whatever we findâor don’t findâin response to these FOIA requests.
Other Investigative Channels
In addition to FOIA requests, we have opened multiple other investigative channels:
Bureau of Diplomatic Security Complaint:
Formal complaint filed November 18, 2025, requesting DS investigation of:
- Use of force against U.S. citizen without proper justification
- Failure to file mandatory incident reports
- Threats against U.S. citizen seeking consular services
DS has independent investigative authority and can compel embassy cooperation.
Government Accountability Office Complaint:
Formal complaint filed November 18, 2025, requesting GAO investigation of:
- Waste of taxpayer resources (spending more to avoid helping than to help)
- Mismanagement of consular operations
- Whether this pattern exists at other embassies
GAO has broader investigative authority than State’s internal watchdog and reports directly to Congress.
CIGIE Integrity Committee Complaint:
Formal complaint filed November 18, 2025, regarding State OIG blocking our organization from filing complaints. CIGIE investigates misconduct by Inspectors General themselves and can recommend corrective actions.
Congressional Notification:
We have notified relevant congressional oversight committees:
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- House Foreign Affairs Committee
- Senate and House Armed Services Committees (veteran status)
- Oversight committees with jurisdiction
Congressional oversight can compel production of evidence and testimony that FOIA alone cannot.
Witnesses Available for Testimony
Beyond documentary evidence, we have identified multiple witnesses who can provide testimony:
- Sgt. Kelvin Blas: Available for interviews, depositions, congressional testimony
- Susan Williams: Civilian witness, contact information can be obtained through visitor logs
- Three additional civilian witnesses: Can be identified through visitor logs
- Mr. Agawu Raymond: Embassy staff witness (would likely require whistleblower protections)
- Third party who received confirmation from Raymond: Can testify to what Raymond told them (with appropriate protections)
These witnesses can provide sworn testimony about what they observed, either in administrative proceedings, congressional hearings, or legal proceedings if this case advances to litigation.
The Evidence Is ThereâIf The Embassy Hasn’t Destroyed It
The November 11, 2025 incident was not a private, unwitnessed event. It occurred in full view of six people, on embassy property covered by security cameras, during business hours, with multiple civilians present who can be identified through routine visitor logs.
The evidence existsâor should existâto fully document what occurred.
Over the coming weeks and months, True Signal Media will be reporting on what the State Department produces in response to our FOIA requests, what explanations they offer (or refuse to offer), and what actions federal oversight bodies take in response to our formal complaints.
This investigation is not based on speculation. It is based on documented evidence, multiple witnesses, and a systematic effort to obtain all records that should exist if the embassy has been following the law.
We will report what we findâor what we don’t find.