The National Security Agency (NSA) spied on five prominent Muslim-Americans, based on a new report about the files that Edward J. Snowden leaked.

The Intercept online magazine disclosed the five surveillance targets by the NSA and questioned the basis of domestic spying acts. The U.S. government condemned this act and considered it as detrimental to national security, The New York Times explained.

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The Intercept said a spreadsheet containing 7,485 email addresses were monitored by the NSA from 2002 to 2008. The document Snowden leaked called "FISA Recap," brings up the suggestion that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorized the spying.

Those subjected to NSA surveillance included American Iranian Council president Hooshang Amirahmadi and Council on American-Islamic Relations executive director Nihad Awad. The other three named were terrorism defense lawyer Asim Ghafoor, Department of Homeland Security ex-lawyer Faisal Gill and American Muslim Alliance national chairman Agha Saeed.

Although the files did not detail the reason for the surveillance or the suspicions against these men, several of them denied any wrongdoing during an interview held Wednesday. Ghafoor said there was "no other explanation" except that his Muslim faith was one of the factors for the monitoring.

A dual citizen of Iran and the U.S., Amirahmadi said he understood the American government's intention in investigating him. This type of monitoring is used not only for suspected terrorists, but also for suspected foreign agents aiming to shift U.S. policies.

As a modern Muslim peace activist, Amirahmadi said he attempted to run for president in Iran and setup meetings between U.S. and Iranian leaders. However, he is not angry about the surveillance, but is "honored" that the American government found nothing after investigating him for years.

None of the surveillance subjects was charged with a crime related to the investigation. Meanwhile, the government did not confirm the monitoring or the reason for it.

On Wednesday, dozens of rights groups sent letters to U.S. President Barack Obama to express their concerns about the potentially "discriminatory and abusive" domestic surveillance. They called for an assessment of the said process.

In response, the White House said a review of the monitoring process was already ordered.

TagsNSA, NSA surveillance, American Muslims, spying, terrorist suspects, foreign agent