San Jose Muslim Man Sues FBI Over Tracking Device
SAN JOSE (KCBS)- A young Muslim man from San Jose is filing a high-profile lawsuit against the FBI, claiming the agency illegally placed a GPS tracking device on his car last year.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
Last October, Yasir Afifi took his car in to get an oil change in Santa Clara and the mechanic found an unusual device under his rear bumper.
"It was a long battery pack connected to a walkie-talkie with an antennae," said Afifi.
The mysterious item turned out to be a GPS tracking device that Afifi claims the FBI placed there to follow his movements for months.
The American-born Muslim is now filing a lawsuit in Washington with the help of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Bay Area chapter, said the FBI needed to get a warrant for such electronic surveillance.
"It is also our assertion that the FBI maintains policies that permits it to place tracking devices on individuals' cars without a warrant," said Billoo. "Their policy is in violation of the law."
In response to the lawsuit, the FBI released a one-sentence statement saying they conduct investigations under well established Department of Justice guidelines that determine what investigative steps or techniques are appropriate.
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