Case of Mistaken Arrest of Lawyer in Madrid Bombings Goes To Court

[Hissyspit]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBTUBJ36BE.html

Case of Mistaken Arrest of Lawyer in Madrid Train Bombings Goes to Court
By Rukmini Callimachi
Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Just over a year ago, a bespectacled lawyer sat in a holding cell inside Portland's federal courthouse, suspected of being involved in the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people. Brandon Mayfield's fingerprints, the FBI said, were found on a bag of detonators near the scene - prints that three senior agents analyzed and vetted.

But their analysis was wrong. On Friday, Mayfield returns to the courthouse for a pretrial hearing in his civil lawsuit against the U.S. government. A convert to Islam, Mayfield argues he was singled out because of his faith.

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Legal experts agree that Mayfield, who has never been to Spain, was wronged. He was released two weeks after his May 2004 arrest and the FBI apologized for bungling the fingerprint examination.

But experts are divided over whether he will be successful in challenging portions of the Patriot Act, which is at the center of a heated debate in Congress. The law expanded the government's intelligence-gathering powers after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

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[maddezmom]

1. Lawyer Accuses U.S. of Invading Privacy

PORTLAND, Ore. - The man wrongly linked to the 2004 Madrid train bombings returned to court Friday to argue his lawsuit against the federal government, with his lawyer demanding that the FBI give back or destroy files seized from his home.

Keeping copies of seized files amounts to an invasion of Brandon Mayfield's privacy, attorney Elden Rosenthal told a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It was one of several issues that are part of Mayfield's lawsuit.

But Justice Department lawyer Kirby Heller argued the government needs the copies to defend itself against a lawsuit by Mayfield.

The judges gave no indication when they would rule.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050715/ap_on_re_eu/spain_bombings_lawyer_3