FBI Denies Falafel Data Mining

FBI Denies Falafel Data Mining, But CQ Stands By Story

Earlier this month, the internet had a mighty fine chuckle at the FBI’s expense after the Congressional Quarterly reported that tech-savvy G-Men had been data-mining Bay Area grocery store records in 2005 and 2006 for suspicious falafel purchases. The ostensible point was to find sleeper Iranian agents who couldn’t hide their culinary preferences.

FBI Hoped to Follow Falafel Trail to Iranian Terrorists Here:

The brainchild of top FBI counterterrorism officials Phil Mudd and Willie T. Hulon, according to well-informed sources, the project didn’t last long. It was torpedoed by the head of the FBI’s criminal investigations division, Michael A. Mason, who argued that putting somebody on a terrorist list for what they ate was ridiculous — and possibly illegal.