A lawyer who was arrested two weeks ago in connection with the terror attacks in Spain was set free Thursday after evidence pointed to another suspect in the deadly train bombings. Brandon Mayfield’s release came soon after Spanish officials said fingerprints found on a bag near the bombing site were that of an Algerian. U.S. authorities had previously said the prints were Mayfield’s. The bag contained detonators similar to those used in the March 11 bombings, which killed 191 people and injured 2,000 others.
"I want to thank my friends and family for what I’ll call a harrowing ordeal," Mayfield, a Muslim convert, said as he walked out the federal courthouse in Portland, grasping his wife’s hand and holding a Koran 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." It is not clear whether the investigation against him has been dropped. Senior law enforcement officials in Washington speaking on condition of anonymity had said the FBI had Mayfield’s home under surveillance for weeks — but had rushed to arrest him because they feared news of their investigation would be leaked. |