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CBS News | Family Hassled After TV Report

A family has been bombarded with threats and harassment after their house was wrongly identified on a U.S. cable television broadcast as the home of a radical Islamic group’s leader.

John Loftus, a former federal prosecutor, gave out the address on the TV show, saying it was the home of Iyad Hilal, who allegedly was the U.S. leader of a group with ties to those responsible for the July 7 bombings in London.

Hilal, who has yet to be named as an actual suspect, so far only wanted for questioning, moved out of the residence 3 years ago. FOX apologized with a very brief press statement and Loftus apologized saying that “mistakes happen” and it was “the best information we had at the time.” His intention being to give out the information on national cable television to help local police locate a terrorist. Never heard of a phone or a fax, John? Or maybe, I don’t know.. checking your facts?

Even so, if you give out a specific location of a “terrorist” on a somewhat sensationalist news program, do you honestly not expect some Joe Q. Average out there to take some misguided action? However, this is FOX News, I’m not sure I’m even all that shocked, just saddened that these peoples’ lives have been affected wrongly so that someone could get some ratings.