[JURIST] Following up on a JURIST report from earlier today, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile] has acknowledged for the first time that provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act [PDF text] were used in the investigation against Brandon Mayfield, the Oregon attorney wrongly accused [JURIST report] of ties to the Madrid train bombings. Gonzales admitted the use of certain provisions by the FBI during its investigation of Mayfield during a Senate Judiciary Committee [official website] hearing on the PATRIOT Act [AP report]. The admission is a reversal of previous Justice Department statements and a statement by Gonzales earlier in the hearing. Mayfield, who is a Muslim, was jailed for two weeks last year after his fingerprint was incorrectly matched to one found near the site of the attacks in Madrid. AP has more.