[randallsquared]

"This sort of stuff is deeply worrying because it means that law enforcement are perfectly happy for the actual perpetrator to go free, so long as they tick their boxes."

I don't think this case is good evidence of that. The problem was that they really believed he was guilty, not that they were unconcerned with whether he was guilty so long as they had someone to jail.

"It would be like doctors prescribing the nearest drug to hand without bothering to find out what was wrong with the patient."

No, it would be like doctors jumping to a conclusion too early and then prescribing based on that conclusion. That does happen fairly frequently, though, if I understand correctly.

[gaius]

No, they constructed the case. You and I, and everyone else commenting here, is in a database of people who read the news on an "Islamic" website. Add in a few more coincidences, hey presto, a terrorist!

[fnordfnordfnord]

>The problem was that they really believed he was guilty,

Right, so the process failed (after the agents failed). Nothing stopped the FBI from harming the guy despite their total lack of actual evidence.

> The problem was that they really believed he was guilty,

People will make mistakes. The system has to allow for that. But it didn't.