Pakistani Says He's in FBI Wanted Photo

LAHORE, Pakistan – A Pakistani jeweler, who claims his photo was identified as one of five foreign-born men being sought by the FBI in the United States, said Thursday he wants to clear his name.

An AP photograph of Mohammed Asghar taken at his shop in Lahore was a near-perfect match for one included on an FBI list released Sunday under the name Mustafa Khan Owasi, down to the prominent mole on Asghar's left cheek under his eye.

The FBI is seeking the public's help in tracking down the five men, who it believes may have entered the United States illegally from Canada in a case that has heightened terrorism fears.

Asghar says he has never been to America and that he has traveled outside of Pakistan only once — when he tried two months ago to get to Britain on false documents. He was stopped in the United Arab Emirates and returned to Pakistan.

The photo he used in that attempt, which is identical to the one released by the FBI, may have been used by the forgers of his documents to create false papers for someone else, Asghar suggested.

"I just want to be cleared of this complicated situation," Asghar told The Associated Press before traveling to his small shop, which was surrounded by journalists Thursday. "I have no plans to lodge any formal complaint, but I want to state my case for the record."

Asghar contacted reporters in Lahore to tell his story after seeing what he believed was his picture among the group of wanted men published locally and shown on television.

He said he and friends from nearby shops would talk to senior police officials in the eastern city of Lahore to ask for help clearing his name.

FBI spokeswoman Angela Bell said the names and photos of additional suspects may be released in the next day or so. She said the bureau was not able to confirm that Asghar was the man in the picture, and added that the FBI planned to interview him in Pakistan.

Asghar said he welcomed the news.

"Anybody who wants to ask me any questions, I am willing to cooperate," he said.

Asghar, 30, acknowledged Wednesday he was arrested in the United Arab Emirates two months ago in an attempt to reach Britain illegally — his only attempt to travel abroad. He said authorities in Dubai discovered the forged visa during a stopover, questioned him for nine hours and later deported him.

He told the AP he had wanted to find a job in Britain "but Dubai police caught me."

He insisted he had no link to any terrorist groups. On Thursday, Asghar refused to say where, or from whom, he bought the forged documents, fearing he might put himself in danger.

"Don't ask me about the agent. I don't want to make more problems for myself," he said.

Asghar says he turned to the document forgers when he was unable to get a legal visa to Britain. It often is hard for first-time Pakistani travelers to obtain visas to the West, especially since the Sept. 11 attacks.

On Sunday, the FBI released photos, names and birth dates of five men believed to be of Middle Eastern origin and sought the public's help finding them. The names released were Abid Noraiz Ali, Iftikhar Khozmai Ali, Mustafa Khan Owasi, Adil Pervez and Akbar Jamal.

Asghar said he does not know any of the people on the list.

"I was shocked when I saw my picture in the newspapers and on television channels with the name of Mustafa Khan Owasi," Asghar said.

With Asghar in the family jewelry shop on Thursday, his father, Haji Asmatullah, was sharply critical of the United States.

"I am hopeful God will help us," he said. "What credibility does the FBI, the U.S. government and the U.S. media have, running pictures without any verification?"

Nearby shopkeepers sympathized. "How can he be a terrorist?" said Mohammad Babar. "He's been here for the last 20 years. The American government and the FBI should apologize to him."

Another jeweler, Mohammad Aqeel, said the affair proved the ill-intent of Americans.

"The Americans and the FBI have just one agenda: to declare all Muslims terrorists," he said.

The Toronto Star reported Tuesday that a joint Canada-U.S. investigation of fake passports triggered the FBI investigation, and that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gave the Americans the men's names and photos.

New York FBI spokesman Joe Valiquette said Wednesday the agency has interviewed several people in the New York City area who thought they might have seen the five men. But "there is no specific information that any of the five are in New York City," Valiquette said.

U.S. officials cautioned they have no specific evidence the men are involved in a terrorist plot, but said the men may have connections to a fake identification and smuggling ring involving some people with terrorist connections.

Several of the men have names or passports from countries with large terrorist presences. Pakistan, a U.S. ally in the war against terrorism, also is home to Islamic militants, and remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda terror network are believed to be using western Pakistan as a base for attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.