ST. PAUL (AP) - A St. Paul police officer has apologized for a photograph showing him dressed as a Muslim woman.

The St. Paul Police Department issued a statement Tuesday on behalf of Officer Robert Buth. Buth says the photo shows him at a private Halloween party on his own time, and was never intended to become public.

Buth says he regrets the image "may have been viewed to be insensitive to the Muslim community."

St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith also issued a statement, saying he believes Buth's apology is sincere.

A police spokesman says Buth is still assigned to the K-9 unit, and an investigation continues.

Mukhtar Ibrahim, a journalist in Washington, D.C., had directed a tweet at the St. Paul Police Twitter account over the weekend, asking about the photo.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved)

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