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December 23, 2005
US: FBI Measures Mosque Becquerels
A report from Reuters states that since September 11, 2001, the FBI has been regularly measuring radiation levels at places frequented by Muslims. These include mosques and private homes. The reason for these searches is the hunt for potential nuclear weapons, states US News and World Report today.
The story is covered extensively on the web, with 126 stories currently listed at Google, though most of these are syndicated releases. Associated Press, via KTRE.com state that 100 Muslim sites in the vicinity of the capitol, Washington DC have been monitored, as well as five other cities, with searches carried out at mosques, homes and businesses.
Reuters lists the other cities as Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York and Seattle.
Cair, the Council on American-Islamic Relations have been quick to respond. A spokesman states that news of the program comes as a "complete shock" and he says, it "creates the appearance that Muslims are targeted simply for being Muslims." In a statement, CAIR wrote: "All Americans should be concerned about the apparent trend toward a two-tiered system of justice, with full rights for most citizens, and another diminished set of rights for Muslims." The statement affirms that the news, coupled with last week's disclosures that domestic eavesdropping had been authorised by the Bush administration, "could lead to the perception that we are no longer a nation ruled by law, but instead one in which fear trumps constitutional rights."
Reuters states that federal officials quoted in the US News and World Report have said that the program was legal, and the nature of the radiation searches did not require warrants.
The surveillance program began in the start of 2002 and has been administered by the FBI in conjunction with the Department of Energy group, the Nuclear Emergency Support Team. At the peak of the operation, as many as 120 sites were being monitored per day.
Dick Cheney, the vice president, was aware of the operation, and one source maintained that nearly all of the surveillance involved individual citizens.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 23, 2005 6:44 PM
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