WASHINGTON – Newly released government papers show homeland security officials improperly gathered intelligence on the Nation of Islam, a black Muslim group.
Internal correspondence shows the 2007 report — titled "Nation of Islam: Uncertain Leadership Succession Poses Risks" — was by an intelligence group working within the Department of Homeland Security.
Hours after the report was issued internally, officials recalled it, deciding the report violated intelligence rules against collecting or disseminating information on U.S. citizens.
One official wrote at the time that the group uses extreme rhetoric but had not engaged in or advocated violence and should not have been the subject of intelligence gathering. The documents were released Wednesday as part of a Freedom of Information lawsuit.
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