April 25, 2014

On Tuesday night, Deana Nassar, MPAC’s Hollywood Liaison attended a nearly sold-out screening of HBO’s new documentary “The Newburgh Sting,” at its premiere during the Tribeca Film Festival.

The documentary, which will air on HBO starting July 21, reveals the FBI’s involvement in the homegrown terror case of the “Newburgh Four," which targeted Muslim communities in poor neighborhoods and lured them into committing acts of terrorism.

Through riveting surveillance footage and interviews with former FBI agents, defense attorneys, local imams and the family members, the film’s directors Kate Davis and David Heilbroner show that there is more to the story then a common so-called jihadist narrative. They take a close look at the personal lives and motivations of the convicted terrorist and successfully make the case that the FBI entrapped them.

“This film is a game changer and an important conversation starter,” says Nassar. "It affirms why MPAC’s Safe Spaces Initiative is so vital at this time. Law enforcement cannot look at Muslim communities as partners and suspects at the same time. The FBI should be held accountable for its dangerous, malicious and wasteful practice with undercover agents in Muslim communities.”