DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Michigan police arrested an Arab-American leader, mistakenly believing him to be a man wanted by the FBI for smuggling and Hezbollah support, officials said.
Ali Hammoud, president of the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn, was arrested Friday night and released Saturday morning after questioning revealed police apprehended the wrong man, the Detroit Free Press reported Sunday.
The FBI had issued a warrant for a man with the same name for alleged cigarette smuggling and support of Hezbollah, a militant Muslim group out of Lebanon. The real Hammoud is believed to be in Lebanon, the newspaper reported.
"The individual fit the description/identifiers of an active warrant. It was later determined it was not the correct individual, and he was released," Detroit FBI spokeswoman Special Agent Sandra Berchtold said via e-mail.
She said Hammoud was arrested after being stopped for a traffic violation. His lawyer, Majed Moughni told the Detroit Free Press there was no traffic violation and the man was arrested at his Dearborn home.
"We will not rest until we find out what happened, and we want to make sure it will never happen again," said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab-American News. "This is a respected community leader. I never doubted his innocence."
