NSA, FBI spied on innocent Muslim Americans - latest Snowden leaks

9 July 2014, 13:01 -- The National Security Agency has been spying on Muslim-Americans - civil rights activists, lawyers and even a political candidate, according to new information leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and published by Glenn Greenwald. Among the targets were the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-the top Muslim civil rights organization in the United States-and a former Bush Administration official who worked for the Department of Homeland Security and held a top-secret security clearance during the time he was under surveillance.

The document lists 7,485 email addresses of individuals monitored between 2002 and 2008. According to The Intercept, 202 of the addresses belong to Americans, while another 5,501 have their nationality marked as 'unknown'.

The document is called 'FISA recap' in reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. According to that act, the US government must show the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that it believes Americans are both agents of terrorist organizations or foreign powers, and 'are or may be' actively engaged in or assisting terrorism, espionage, or sabotage.

'This report confirms the worst fears of American Muslims: the federal government has targeted Americans, even those who have served their country in the military and government, simply because of their faith or religious heritage,' the group Muslim Advocates said in a statement.

There are some Americans in this list who have been accused of terrorism, but five of them have all led what appear to be law-abiding lives.

The new leaks vary from those disclosed in a Washington Post article last week, which focused on the incidental collection of people, including Americans, who are were not targeted for surveillance.

Source: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_07_09/NSA-FBI-spied-on- innocent-Muslim-Americans-latest-Snowden-leaks-4994/