Group Sues Michigan State Police
A Muslim civil rights group has sued the Michigan State Police for failing to release information related to the killing of a Detroit mosque leader during a shootout with the FBI.
"Suppressing the evidence in the manner that these entities have been suppressing the evidence of the last nearly a year has done nothing but fuel suspicions among the Muslim and African American and civil rights community at large. I'm not sure why these government agencies are withholding this information, but I do think it's important that the truth comes out," said Lena Masri, attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Michigan chapter, which filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Chapter Executive Director Dawud Walid said Thursday the state police was part of a task force that conducted raids leading to the death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah at a Dearborn warehouse in October.
Masri says they just want the truth.
"We want to know what happened on that unfortunate day. The public has a right to know and more importantly the family has a right to know what happened. So we want to know whether the excessive use of force that was exhibited by these various entities was justified or not," said Masri.
A message was left Thursday with the Michigan State Police.
The FBI says it killed Abdullah after he fired a gun and resisted arrest in a stolen-goods sting operation. An FBI dog died in the shootout.
Masri said CAIR plans more lawsuits against other law enforcement agencies.
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