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US Madrid suspect released
21/05/2004 10:27 - (SA)
Portland, Oregon - An American lawyer who was arrested two weeks ago in connection with the terror attacks in Spain was set free after evidence pointed to another suspect in the deadly train bombings.
Brandon Mayfield, 37, was released soon after Spanish officials said fingerprints found on a bag near the bombing site were that of an Algerian. US authorities had previously said the prints were Mayfield's. The bag contained detonators similar to those used in the March 11 blasts, which killed 191 people and injured two thousand others.
"I want to thank my friends and family for what I'll call a harrowing ordeal," Mayfield, a convert to Islam, said as he walked out the federal courthouse in Portland, grasping his wife's hand and holding a Qu'ran and a Muslim prayer rug.
In Arabic and then in English, Mayfield recited the Muslim prayer: "God is great. There is no God but God."
Never left the country
His three children, ages 10, 12 and 15, rushed up behind him, and his wife's eyes filled up with tears. The family had insisted Mayfield is innocent, saying he has not been out of the country for at least a decade.
Mayfield, a former Army lieutenant who ran a small Portland law firm, was arrested on May 6 as a material witness and was never charged. It is not clear whether the investigation against him has been dropped.
FBI spokesperson Beth Anne Steele said she could not comment because "it is a pending grand jury matter". But she would not say whether the grand jury was weighing an indictment against Mayfield. Justice Department officials in Washington declined to comment on the case.
Senior law enforcement officials in Washington speaking on condition of anonymity had said the FBI had Mayfield's home under surveillance for weeks. When it became clear that news about him might leak, the Justice Department placed him in custody, the officials said.
Steve Wax, Mayfield's attorney, said a gag order issued by a federal judge remained in place, and he could not discuss details.
But he added: "The reality of this case is that some breaks in that secrecy - some leaks - have been quite harmful to Mr Mayfield."
In Madrid late on Thursday, authorities said the fingerprints found on the plastic bag belonged to an Algerian, Ouhnane Daoud. The bag was found in a van hours after the morning rush-hour blasts. The van had been left near the train station from which three of the four bombed trains had departed.
The bombings were blamed on Islamic militants with possible links to al-Qaeda.
The Spanish police said the fingerprint match meant that Daoud "participated" in the bombing, but gave no further details and did not say if he is being sought for questioning or arrest. Police released a photograph of Daoud.
The Europa Press news agency reported Daoud had a residency permit to live in Spain and had a police record.
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