LAHORE, 9 January 2003 — A Pakistani jeweler proclaimed victory yesterday after "days of agony" when the FBI admitted it was duped into posting on its website photos of five men suspected of illegally entering the United States.
Mohammad Asghar, who runs a gold jewelry store in the eastern city of Lahore, believed his photo, under a different name, was among the five. He said it fell into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s hands after he arranged for a fake passport in an attempt to enter the United Kingdom.
"This is a victory of truth that I have been found innocent by the FBI," Asghar, who said he had never traveled to the United States," he said. "During the last five or six days I suffered badly. Various (Pakistani) agencies came to my home and shop and interrogated me. My wife, children and relatives have been worried all week. Nobody can imagine my agony," he added
The FBI said Tuesday the information received on the men was found to be false, a hoax reportedly attributed to a Canadian-based people smuggler facing charges for trying to illegally bring 19 foreigners into the United States.
"As a result of uncovering fabricated information, there is no longer a need for public assistance in locating the five individuals," FBI spokesman Bill Carter said. "We are not looking for them anymore."
The photos, posted on the agency’s website Dec. 29, have since been removed. Asghar said he would not seek compensation or an apology over the alleged photo mix-up.
"I do not want any kind of legal action against the FBI or anybody else nor any kind of apology from anyone," he said, noting litigation would be lengthy and costly. He also expressed his support for Pakistan’s cooperation with Washington in its campaign to stamp out terrorist organizations.
"I condemn every act of terrorism. No religion permits it, it’s inhuman. Pakistan has rightly joined the war alliance against terrorism."
The FBI issued an alert Dec. 29 seeking assistance in finding the five photographed men, but warned from the beginning their names could be fictitious and offered no indication of their possible whereabouts.
The agency never linked the men to any specific plot, asking only that they be able to question them. (AFP)
