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FBI apologizes to Oregon attorney

Brandon Mayfield listens to questions as he sits with his wife Mona Mayfield, left, during a press conference on Monday in Portland. US authorities have admitted Mayfield was the victim of a humiliating identification error. PHOTO: AFP

A US federal court threw out the case against an American lawyer once linked to the Madrid train bombings, and the FBI apologized for a fingerprint-identification error that led to his arrest.

The court's action lifts a cloud of suspicion that has surrounded attorney Brandon Mayfield since his arrest May 6. The 37-year-old convert to Islam sharply criticized the government after the announcement, calling his time behind bars "humiliating" and "embarrassing" and saying he was targeted because of his faith.

"I am a Muslim, an American, and an ex-officer of the US military," he said at a news conference on Monday. "I believe I was singled out and discriminated against, I feel, as a Muslim."

FBI officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said that Mayfield's fingerprint matched one found on a bag of detonators near a train station in Madrid in the March 11 commuter train bombings, which killed 191 people and injured 2,000 others. But last week, Spanish authorities said the fingerprints of an Algerian man were on the bag.

"The FBI apologizes to Mr. Mayfield and his family for the hardships that this matter has caused," the bureau said in a statement issued from Washington.

Robert Jordan, the FBI agent in charge of Oregon, said the bureau would review its practices on fingerprint analyses.

Jordan said the FBI's initial determination about Mayfield's fingerprint was "based on an image of substandard quality."

Mayfield, a former Army lieutenant, was released from custody last week after the fingerprint announcement by Spanish officials. But he was not altogether cleared of suspicion at the time; the government said he remained a "material witness" and put restrictions on his movements. Those restrictions were lifted on Monday.

A statement posted on the US District Court's Web site said: "Due to the misidentification by the FBI of a fingerprint, the court orders the material witness proceeding dismissed. The court orders all property seized to be returned to the material witness."

Furthermore, the court said that all documents in the case would be unsealed.

Karin Immergut, the US attorney in Oregon, denied Mayfield had been a target because of his religion and maintained that the FBI had followed all laws in the case.

Steven Wax, the public defender who represented Mayfield, said Mayfield may sue the government.

Lawyers for Mayfield also said they would call for an investigation into leaks to the media in the case, as well as a probe into FBI actions.
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