FBI erred in targeting interfaith center

A Department of Justice inspector concluded that the FBI improperly
targeted for surveillance some U.S. advocacy organizations, including
the Thomas Merton Center, an interfaith group focused on nonviolence.

"We
found that the FBI's investigations related to the Merton Center and
its statements describing the basis for that investigation raised the
most troubling issues in this review," stated the report issued
September 20 by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector
General.

FBI surveillance of an antiwar rally sponsored by the
Pittsburgh-based center was the subject of "inaccurate and misleading
information," the report said. As a result, FBI Director Robert Mueller
incorrectly testified about the center at a congressional hearing.