Arrest of lawyer was rushed. Evidence not strong dispute with Spain leaks

[MSgt213]

ORTLAND, Ore., May 7 — The authorities arrested a Portland lawyer in connection with the Madrid railway bombings before they had a clear idea about the strength of their case and they cut short a planned covert surveillance of him because of concerns that information was leaking out to the news media, law enforcement officials said Friday.

On Thursday the F.B.I. arrested the lawyer, Brandon Mayfield, 37, on a material witness warrant in connection with the attacks, which killed 191 people on March 11. Mr. Mayfield, who practices immigration and family law, is a former Army lieutenant and a convert to Islam.

The law enforcement officials said they were afraid that Mr. Mayfield, who is originally from Kansas, might become a fugitive if he knew he was under suspicion. So monitoring that was just getting started was abruptly halted. Mr. Mayfield was arrested before investigators had fully examined his phone records, before they knew if he had ever met with any of the bombing suspects, before they knew if he had ever traveled to Spain or elsewhere overseas. His relatives said he had not been out of the United States for 10 years.

The leaks, the officials said, left prosecutors little choice but to hold Mr. Mayfield as a material witness, which gives investigators more time to assemble a clearer sense of any role he may have played. But they will have to provide evidence to a judge to continue to hold him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/national/08ARRE.html?hp

[mn9driver]

1. Doesn't matter. Off to Gitmo with him!

They'll just get * to declare him an enemy combatant, then they can hold him indefinitely with no evidence at all.

[Skip Intro]

2. They need to keep the Spain "attacks" "fresh"

So that when necessary, they can remind us all that voting for Kerry, after a new attack, would be "giving in to the turrrsts.

Its blatant, to me.