FBI using planes to spy on US Muslims
Publicly available flight data has shown that areas with higher Muslim densities in Detroit and other American cities are constantly being spied on by planes linked to an FBI surveillance program which is allegedly used to track down spies, terrorists and criminals.
According to data available at FlightRadar24.com, since Friday, FBI has conducted seven flights over Metro Detroit, with prolonged surveillance over Dearborn, a city that is populated by Muslim and Middle Eastern residents.
The flights over Dearborn matched patterns from similar flights over other cities, including Baltimore where the FBI flew planes to monitor the riots following the death Freddie Gray, a black man who died in police custody in May.
They were all done in slow-speed and counter-clockwise orbits, covering a several miles wide area from an altitude of about one mile. An average of 19 identical loops was made in each flight, which was usually conducted in nights.
The plane, identified as a 2010 single-engine Cessna Skylane, is equipped with cutting-edge technologies such as high-resolution cameras and cell phone surveillance systems.
The Cessna is owned by a company called OTV Leasing of Bristow, Va. Earlier reports revealed that OTV Leasing is one of at least 13 fake companies that the FBI uses as a front to cover its secret missions.
An earlier Associated Press report showed that Robert Lindley, who is listed as the chief executive of the company, is also the CEO of several other fake companies and has at least three distinct signatures in aircraft records.
The report also noted that in a 30-day period, the FBI conducted more 100 flights over 30 cities in eleven states.
The US Attorney’s Office in Detroit and the FBI declined to comment on the recent flights.
The vast surveillance has angered Muslim activists in the United States and some of them are planning to hit back with lawsuits.
In 2010, the FBI told Congress that it is equipped with at least 115 operational airplanes.
FBI Deputy Director Mark Giuliano admitted to existence of such programs only a few months ago. He claimed that these activities are not classified and are only used to follow criminals and terrorists.
Source : Agencies
