FBI Apologizes to Brandon Mayfield for Arrest in Connection to Madrid Bombings VOA News 25 May 2004, 15:03 UTC
The FBI has apologized to a man it arrested in connection with the Madrid train bombings, hours after he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation detained Oregon lawyer Brandon Mayfield for two weeks after investigators thought they had matched his fingerprint to one found on a bag of detonators in Madrid.
Last week, U.S. officials released the 37-year-old Mayfield after Spanish police said the fingerprints belonged to an Algerian man.
On Monday, a federal judge formally dismissed the case against Mr. Mayfield, citing the misidentified fingerprint.
In the apology, the FBI blamed the error on a substandard-quality image provided by Spanish police.
The FBI apologized to Mr. Mayfield and his family for any hardships they suffered. The agency also said it plans to ask international fingerprint experts to review its work in the case.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Mr. Mayfield, a convert to Islam, said he was targeted because of his faith.
The March 11 bombing in Madrid killed 191 people and left 2000 others injured.
