Story highlights Trump said it would be apart of a broader anti-terror effort

He again opposed calls to resettle Syrian refugees on U.S. soil

(CNN) Donald Trump is ratcheting up his rhetoric about American Muslims, saying there's precedent for monitoring some mosques amid the recent terror wave.

At a Birmingham, Alabama, rally on Saturday -- which included a physical altercation between a black protester and several white Trump backers -- the 2016 Republican front-runner suggested law enforcement keep an eye on certain Islamic houses of worship which, in his view, could pose terrorist threats.

"I want surveillance of certain mosques if that's OK," Trump told the often-raucous and approving crowd. "We've had it before."

The remarks echo a call Trump made earlier in the week, when he said on MSNBC he'd "strongly consider" shutting down mosques in the U.S.

The billionaire businessman also linked current terrorist concerns, after the Paris carnage and other attacks, with 9/11.

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