Nationwide FBI terrorism raids target anti-war activists
The FBI said it searched eight homes in Minneapolis and Chicago as part of a terrorism investigation on Friday, and two subjects said the agency is targeting leaders of the anti-war movement.
FBI spokesman Steve Warfield told The Associated Press agents served six warrants in Minneapolis and two in Chicago. "These were search warrants only," Warfield said. "We're not anticipating any arrests at this time. They're seeking evidence relating to activities concerning the material support of terrorism."
Warfield said he couldn't comment on whose homes were searched or give details on why because it's an ongoing investigation. "There's no imminent threat to the community," he said.
The searches were first reported by the Star Tribune.
Sundin said she wasn't certain exactly what kinds of information the FBI was after or who else had been searched in either city.
An FBI SWAT team entered first "and looked for pointy things. And then they left and the FBI agents came in and looked through everything in the house," she said.
The agents took "computers, several boxes of papers, everything related to data like discs," Sundin said.
Both Sundin and Kelly were organizers of a mass march on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in St. Paul two years ago, and recently appeared at a news conference to announce plans for another protest if Minneapolis is selected to hold the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
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Justice Department Report Finds FBI Spied on American Protestors
Earlier this week, we learned that yet another Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) report has found malfeasance in the FBI. This time, the IG found the bureau spying on American citizens engaged in protests and other activities protected by the First Amendment. These investigations have led to several activists being inappropriately placed on terrorist watchlists.
The IG's investigation was prompted by an ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which uncovered evidence in 2006 that the FBI was chilling political association by improperly investigating peaceful advocacy groups like Greenpeace and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The report concludes that the FBI was not spying on groups because of their political views. Rather, it was investigating them because they suspected the groups might commit crimes, which was okay under the FBI rules that existed at the time. By that logic, everyone can be subject to FBI investigation and possibly be included on a terrorist watchlist.
In 2002, the guidelines under then-Attorney General John Ashcroft required only the "possibility" of a federal crime. This guideline led activities like the FBI infiltrating a peace group that was doing nothing more nefarious than handing out anti-war leaflets in downtown Pittsburgh.