By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
WASHINGTON – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it invited FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to a community dinner Wednesday at Minneapolis Mosque – an interesting move considering the FBI recently cut off official ties to the organization because of its support of Hamas.
“The invitation to Director Mueller comes in the wake of remarks he made yesterday claiming a Minnesota Muslim who allegedly carried out a suicide attack in Somalia had been ‘indoctrinated and radicalized while living in Minneapolis’,” according to a press release posted on the CAIR website.
“We invite director Mueller to attend the dinner and to help us build channels of communication between the FBI and the Minnesota Somalia Community,” said CAIR Minnesota spokeswoman Jessica Zikri in a statement.
Zikri said Tuesday night that she also hoped “everyone and anyone will stop by” from Minnesota law enforcement.
Under the circumstances, it seems highly unlikely Mueller will attend.
Paul Bresson, an FBI spokesman in Washington, declined to comment on the invitation, but said: “The FBI will continue its dialogue with the Somalia community in Minneapolis and elsewhere.”
Meanwhile , the Investigative Project on Terrorism website reported that Senators Jon Kyl, Charles E. Schumer and Tom A. Coburn wrote a letter Tuesday praising Mueller for cutting ties to CAIR, and asked for more information surrounding the move.
