Family sues FBI in fatal shooting of Detroit imam

Attorney general and Justice Department defend FBI in incident

October 30, 2012 08:34 AM

Members of the FBI investigate under a semi trailer outside a warehouse in Dearborn, Mich., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. A man described as a leader of a radical Sunni Islam group was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon while resisting arrest and exchanging gunfire with federal agents. (AP Image)

Associated Press

DETROIT — The family of a Detroit mosque leader has filed a lawsuit against FBI agents, saying his rights were violated when he was gunned down during a raid.

Luqman Abdullah was killed when agents tried to arrest him at a Dearborn warehouse in 2009. He and his allies were accused of dealing stolen goods in an FBI sting operation.

A lawsuit filed Friday in federal court accuses the FBI of using excessive force in Abdullah’s death. He was shot 20 times. The FBI has defended what happened, saying Abdullah was armed and resisted arrest.

The Michigan attorney general said the shooting was justified. The U.S. Justice Department’s civil rights division also found no wrongdoing.

The FBI declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday. Abdullah was married and had 10 children.

Federal law enforcement Officer-Involved Shootings