Legal Commentary

Mom of Arrested Man: Her Son is No Terrorist

By Jeralyn

The mother of one of the five missing men arrested in Pakistan says he traveled there to meet her and her husband who were trying to arrange a marriage for him. She says her husband was arrested along with her son, bringing the total number arrested from the U.S. to six.

In an interview with CNN, Subira Farouk said her son, Umar, was one of the young men detained in the case. She said her husband also was arrested, which would bring to six the number of people in custody. Police confirmed they have six people in custody, not five, as was originally reported.

Farouk said her son would never plot a terror attack. She described him as a business student at George Mason University in suburban Washington.

A law enforcement official says none of the five missing men "had shown up on law enforcement's radar" before they were reported missing.

Maybe they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe they were unwittingly lured there. There's more to this story and I'd caution against forming any judgments until more is known. At least the State Department will be seeking consular access to those who are Americans. I don't imagine Pakistan is a friendly place to face interrogation upon arrest. For that reason alone, I'd be suspect of any claimed confessions.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 10, 2009 (boomark / email).