‘Gadahn Arrest’ Creates Some Confusion

Sunday afternoon, Pakistani officials identified a captured detainee as “American al-Qaida” Adam Gadahn, information quickly reported by the Associated Press and eventually by the cable nets (albeit with some hesitance). But today, the AP reports that the man arrested merely had a similar name, leaving the nets trying to sort through the confusion. “The resemblance of the name initially caused confusion but now they have concluded he is not Gadahn,” an intelligence officer told the AP. Here’s a comparison of some Sunday screenshots compared to today’s:

Related: Speaking of conflicting reports, LA Times’ Matea Gold writes about the origin of last week’s false reports about Chief Justice John Roberts, and how NBC’s Brian Williams found himself running through a train station when the news first emerged. “It struck me as odd,” Williams told the LA Times. “What I know about Radar does not include their Supreme Court reporting.”

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