[JURIST] The US Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General [official website] reported [text, PDF] Friday that the FBI [official website] did not use the threat of terrorism investigations to intimidate political protesters at the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions in Boston and New York, but rather followed up on credible threats of violence, investigating 17 threats, determining that six of them appeared serious. At the Democratic convention in Boston FBI agents subpoenaed three men to appear before a grand jury. The threat involving the three men led to investigations of 33 additional people.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups complained [Washington Post report] that the FBI had tried to manipulate political protesters by threatening terror probes and sued the FBI. The FBI acknowledged that it has thousands of records relating to surveillance of civil rights, environmental and other advocacy groups, but maintains that it has not violated any free speech rights. AP has more.