Fergie's Tech Blog

Orwellian Nightmare: Man Mistakenly Arrested as Terrorist Suspect Wins Case, Apology

Bryan Denson writes on The Oregonian:

Brandon Mayfield, the Portland-area lawyer wrongly linked to the deadly Madrid, Spain, train bombings of 2004, accepted a $2 million settlement Wednesday in his lawsuit against the federal government, setting up a legal showdown over the constitutionality of the USA Patriot Act.

The United States will pay the convert to Islam $1.9 million for the emotional toll he suffered from two weeks of imprisonment as a material witness to a crime he knew nothing about, with another $100,000 going to his wife and three children for their suffering.

The government also agreed to destroy all materials seized from Mayfield's home and office. And it agreed to issue the 40-year-old lawyer another apology for FBI foulups that matched him to a fingerprint found in Madrid, leading to his investigation as a possible terrorist.

posted by Fergie @ 11/30/2006 06:28:00 PM