His research on the impact of counter-terrorism policies, was motivated by his wrongful arrest and solitary confinement detention for suspected terrorism for seven days after he was found in possession of the al-Qaida training manual he was using for his research on al-Qaida and Hamas in 2008. After being released without charge, Rizwaan eventually became one of the first Muslims in the UK to secure damages for being falsely imprisoned under the Terrorism Act 2000 and an apology for being unlawfully stopped and searched under anti-terror laws. He now briefs UK parliamentarians, human rights and civil society organisations, routinely appears in the media and writes for the Guardian and Al-Jazeera.