CURBING DISSENT?

Report: FBI Terrorism Task Force Probing Standing Rock Protesters

The agency’s counter-terror task force looking into anti-pipeline activists.

The FBI’s terrorism task force is reportedly investigating individuals who are protesting against the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. According to The Guardian, the agency has assigned agents to the case who usually deal with counterterrorism investigations. The newspaper added that the FBI has tried to get in contact with at least three people connected to the movement. Others details about the probe are unknown, and the FBI has declined to comment. “It’s outrageous, it’s unwarranted ... and it’s unconstitutional,” civil rights attorney Lauren Regan told The Guardian. Regan, who has provided legal advice to the three individuals contacted by the FBI, said they did not respond to the agency’s inquiries, instead invoking their Fifth Amendment rights.