Donald Trump says Muslims in Jersey City cheered on 9/11

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been accused of attempting to incite a hate campaign, after he claimed he saw people across the river in New Jersey cheering the September 11 attacks — a claim officials strongly deny.

Trump first told the story at a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, as he pressed the need for greater surveillance, including monitoring of mosques, in the wake of the Paris attacks.

“I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering,” Trump said at the rally.