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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.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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