The F.B.I. crackdown yields injustice: "he Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ought to hang their heads in shame over the mistaken arrest and jailing of a Muslim lawyer in Oregon who was supposed to be a material witness in the Madrid train bombing case. The arrest turned out to be based on a faulty fingerprint identification by F.B.I. 'experts.' That finding was ultimately retracted when more careful Spanish investigators concluded that the fingerprint had actually been left by a different man. Federal authorities apologized for the error and the unjustified jail time, but they still have a lot of explaining to do. The case smacks of a rush to judgment based on flimsy evidence.
...the Spanish authorities cast doubt on that judgment, but the Justice Department sought Mr. Mayfield's detention anyway, based on the F.B.I.'s insistence that it had identified the right man.
... The F.B.I. blames its error on an image of substandard quality sent by the Spanish police. But it is shocking that the F.B.I. would initially express certitude based on one partial print. ... the decision to lock up Mr. Mayfield was clearly influenced by his Muslim ties. It is sobering evidence that the current legal crackdown on suspected terrorists can yield injustice for those who are innocent."
- posted by geoff @ #