Mayor Bloomberg defended the police, saying: "We have to keep this country safe.
"The police department goes where there are allegations. That's what you'd expect them to do. That's what you'd want them to do. Remind yourself when you turn out the light tonight."
The surveillance carried out by the NYPD on Muslim residents in Newark, New Jersey, was so secretive that the operation was kept from the city's mayor.
In a 60-page report obtained by the Associated Press, details were given about conversations overheard in Muslim-owned businesses and restaurants, and photographs and maps were provided of 16 local mosques.
Read More | "Michael Bloomberg Defends NYPD Surveillance On Muslims" | Rosa Prince | Telegraph