9/11 detainees claim abuse at N.J. jail

PASSAIC, N.J., April 3 (UPI) -- A man of Indian descent began a deposition Monday alleging he was abused by dogs at a New Jersey prison after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Akhil Sachdeva, a Canadian citizen, began testifying in Toronto about his detention at the federal detention center in Passaic, N.J., where he and about 400 other, mainly Muslim, suspects were rounded up.

His lawsuit charges that the detainees' confinement was arbitrary, illegally based on religion or national origin, and that guards routinely terrorized them with aggressive dogs, The New York Times reported.

"To hear about the use of dogs in this way within the United States is truly shocking," said Jonathan Turley, a professor of national security and constitutional law at George Washington University, who is not involved in the case.

Bill Maer, a spokesman for the Passaic County (N.J.) sheriff, denied that the detainees had been mistreated and said that the dog teams are used "strictly for security and contraband detection purposes" and "act in a professional manner when interacting with inmates."