WASHINGTON, Sept 13: Racial profiling by US law enforcement agencies has increased over the past three years and now affects one in nine Americans, the Amnesty International rights group said in a report released on Monday.

"State and federal agencies, under the guise of fighting terrorism, have expanded the use of this degrading, discriminatory and dangerous practice," said Curt Goering, deputy executive director for Amnesty International USA.

According to its study, some 32 million Americans have been subject to profiling - the targeting of people because of their ethnic or religious background. Amnesty said use of profiling has seen a major increase since 9/11. -AFP