FBI spied on Pittsburgh pacifists, papers show

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http://news./s/nm/20060314/pl_nm/security_fbi_dc

 

 

FBI spied on Pittsburgh pacifists, papers show

 

 

 

 

By Jonathan Barnes Tue Mar 14, 3:09 PM ET

 

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) -

FBI anti-terrorism agents spied on a peace group simply because it

opposed the Iraq war, part of an " unprecedented campaign " to spy on

innocent citizens, the American Civil Liberties Union said on Tuesday.

 

 

FBI documents acquired under the Freedom of Information Act and

provided to reporters show the FBI conducted surveillance of the

Pittsburgh-based Thomas Merton Center for Peace & Justice at anti-war

demonstrations and leaflet distributions in 2002 and 2003.

 

One of the FBI documents, unveiled at a news conference by the two

groups, carried the headline " International Terrorism Matters " and

referred to the FBI's work with an anti-terrorism task force that

includes several agencies.

 

Another FBI document said the Pittsburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force

had learned that " The Thomas Merton Center ... has been determined to

be an organization which is opposed to the United States' war with Iraq. "

 

A separate document noted, " One female leaflet distributor who

appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, inquired if (confidential

source's name withheld) was an FBI agent. No other TMC participants

appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. "

 

FBI officials in Pittsburgh said the bureau was engaged in legitimate

investigations, and in one case dropped the probe upon determining a

person photographed at one demonstration was not whom they were

looking for.

 

" We had a legitimate purpose for being there, " FBI special agent Bill

Crowley said, referring to a November 2002 protest.

 

The ACLU said the spying fit a pattern of federal abuse following the

September 11 attacks. U.S.

President George W. Bush has generally received high marks from the

public for taking a strong hand in security matters.

 

" From the FBI to the

Pentagon to the National Security Agency, this administration has

embarked on an unprecedented campaign to spy on innocent Americans, "

Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU, said in a statement.

 

LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION OBSERVED

 

An FBI memo dated November 2002 said the Merton Center " holds daily

leaflet distribution activities in downtown Pittsburgh and is

currently focused on its opposition to the potential war in Iraq. " The

war began in March 2003.

 

The memo called the Merton Center " a left-wing organization

advocating, among many political causes, pacifism. "

 

The FBI acknowledged the report sounded as if it were reporting on the

activities of an anti-war group, but said " such a characterization

would be factually misleading. "

 

The agent was pursuing leads " from another source possibly

establishing a link between an ongoing investigation and the group

engaging in anti-war protests. Finding no such link, he terminated his

surveillance, " the FBI said in a statement.

 

Although previously disclosed documents showed the FBI was retaining

files on anti-war groups, the ACLU said these documents were the first

to show conclusively that the FBI targeted the Merton Center because

of its pacifism.

 

" We know that this surveillance is about the political views of the

Thomas Merton Center because that's what the documents say, " said Mary

Catherine Roper, an attorney with the Pittsburgh ACLU.

 

Merton Center director Jim Kleissler said his group filed the request

for FBI documents because its members believed they were being spied

on by the FBI in 2002 and 2003 while they protested against the

imminent war in Iraq.

 

Kleissler said he was not particularly surprised to find that his

group was being investigated by the FBI " but we were surprised that it

was so closely tied to terrorism. "