Mayfield's relatives told the New York Times that he has not left the U.S. in ten years

PORTLAND, U.S., May 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The family and friends of a U.S. lawyer, arrested on suspicion of connections with the Madrid bombings, were doubtful the quiet, hardworking lawyer could be involved in terrorism, insisting he never left the U.S. for ten years.

Brandon Mayfield, a 37-year-old former Army officer and father of three, was detained by the FBI on a material-witness warrant.

His brother, Kent, asserted that Brandon was innocent, "too poor" to have traveled to Spain or anywhere overseas and had been targeted by the FBI and U.S. Attorney because of his conversion to Islam and his criticism of the Bush Administration's foreign policy.

"He's a good and honest man and I'm terrified for him," Kent told Reuters by telephone.

"I have a lot of mistrust in the legal process. They are destroying innocent people's lives."

"We are hoping to file a motion to have the case thrown out for lack of evidence," he added.

Kent asserted that the family does not know where his brother is and has not been allowed to talk to him since his arrest.

Mayfield, a U.S. convert to Islam, was arrested Thursday by the FBI in Portland, in the northwestern state of Oregon, on a material-witness warrant.

This warrant, commonly used when investigators think a subject may have direct knowledge of criminal activity, is used to buy time while more evidence is gathered against the subject.

Mayfield's friend and former attorney Tom Nelson called Mayfield a good man and blasted officials for leaking allegations to the media.

"This harms the family's health, safety and welfare and their financial welfare. If he is totally, totally exonerated, he is a dead man in this city. You cannot unring the bell once it is rung."

If charged, Mayfield would be the first American implicated in the March 11, Madrid bombings, which killed 191 people and wounded 1,900.

A Spanish source close to the investigation told Agence France-Presse Friday, May 7, that Mayfield’s fingerprints have been found on a bag linked to the devastating attacks.

"The fingerprints were found on a bag containing detonators, like those used (in the March 11 attacks)," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The source confirmed that the bag, containing seven detonators, was found in a van discovered by police on the day of the attacks in the Alcala de Henares suburb of Madrid.

The van also contained traces of Goma-2 Eco explosive, which investigators said was used in the attacks, the worst in Spain's history.

Weak Case

Mayfield, in an undated family holiday photo, with his Egyptian-born wife, Mona, and their first child, Shane

Quoting law enforcement officials, the New York Times reported Friday that the U.S. authorities arrested Mayfield 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 media.

He 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, it added.

"The leaks, the officials said, left prosecutors little choice but to hold 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".

The Times quoted Mayfield's relatives as saying he had not been out of the United States for 10 years.

Mayfield's mother, AvNell Mayfield, told the daily that FBI agents had searched her son's house, going through computers and papers and taking his wife's credit card.

"People who grew up with Brandon or met him, went to school with him, served in the military with him — they all know that this is an outrage," she said.

"He's not this wicked, evil, bombing, child-killing person. There is a person behind that face on the news who is being torn apart."

Ironically, she told the paper that only a few weeks ago, Mayfield was telling her how upset he was by the case of Capt. James Yee, a Muslim Army chaplain who had been accused of espionage before charges were dropped.

"Captain Yee and Mayfield had both been stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State and had crossed paths while stationed in Germany," she said.

"He thought that was so unfair, that our government could ruin a person like that and no public apologies were made," Mrs. Mayfield, a seventh-grade art teacher, said.

"I never thought it would happen to my family."

Yee was accused by the U.S. of possessing classified documents about the 660 detainees held by the U.S. in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and their interrogators.

All charges against him were later dropped.