Mistaken identity cited in arrest

March 9, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

ISLAMABAD

Pakistani officials reversed course Monday on a recently captured American suspected of being a member of al-Qaida, saying the man is not the terror network’s U.S.-born spokesman, as they initially believed.

The man arrested in the southern city of Karachi first was identified as al-Qaida spokesman Adam Gadahn, the most-wanted American in the terrorist network. But authorities later said it was a case of mistaken identity and that they have a different American in custody.

Pakistani intelligence officials instead identified him as Abu Yahya Majadin Adam, a name similar to one listed on the FBI’s Web site as an alias for Gadahn, the 31-year-old man who has appeared in several al-Qaida videos threatening the West since 2001.

“The resemblance of the name initially caused confusion, but now they have concluded he is not Gadahn,” said an intelligence officer, who, like all Pakistani intelligence agents, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Word of the man’s identity came on the same day that a suicide car bomber struck a police interrogation building in the eastern city of Lahore, killing 13 people. The attack broke what had been a relative lull in violence in Pakistan, where militant groups revile the government for its alliance with the U.S.

A senior U.S military intelligence official confirmed Monday that the man arrested does not appear to be Gadahn. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Pakistani operations.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said President Barack Obama is getting updates on reports of the detained American but that the White House has not confirmed the information.