NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Muslim leaders in New Jersey say the state attorney general has assured them that a New York Police Department unit that conducted surveillance of Muslim groups is no longer operating in the state.
Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa (kee-AY’-sah) declined to comment following the private meeting Wednesday in Newark, but several attendees confirmed the account.
It was the first meeting of a Muslim outreach committee the attorney general established in May. He formed the group after announcing that a review of NYPD activities found the agency had not violated any New Jersey laws.
The NYPD has defended its surveillance of Muslim businesses, students and groups in New Jersey as legal.
The surveillance, revealed in a series by The Associated Press, angered many Muslims and resulted in a federal suit against the NYPD.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.