NJ Mosque Delays FBI Visit Meant To Repair Trust

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The FBI says a visit to a mosque by its top New Jersey official has been postponed at the request of mosque leaders.

The Paterson mosque had been targeted by NYPD surveillance operations. It wasn’t immediately clear why the visit was called off.

Michael Ward, head of the FBI in New Jersey, has said Thursday’s planned visit to the mosque was part of an effort to repair damaged relationships between law enforcement and Muslims in the wake of the NYPD revelations.

Religious leaders of different faiths are gathering in New Jersey to denounce the surveillance of Muslims by the New York Police Department.

Newark’s Archbishop, the Rev. John Myers, plans to deliver a statement Thursday saying authorities must protect society, but do so lawfully while respecting people’s faith.

The Associated Press has been reporting on the NYPD’s monitoring of mosques, Muslim-owned businesses and student groups in New Jersey and elsewhere.

NYPD officials have defended their actions as legal and justified.