I was interested in your front page photograph (The Argus, February 19) of the alleged al-Qaida terrorist Omar Deghayes.

It was reported the picture "was used by international anti-terror squads to link him to a series of plots to bomb the West".

When I compared the photo to pictures of Mr Deghayes as a teenaged boy, aged 17, and as a young man, I could see no immediate similarities, although allowances could be made for the fact the image is very fuzzy and the man in the video has a cap pulled low over his brow and also has a full beard and longer hair.

Mr Deghayes's sister stated it was definitely not him. "You can tell from the lips, nose and eyes."

She obviously has the benefit of being able to compare the fuzzy video image to Mr Deghayes's personal appearance, as do the intelligence agencies who hold him in custody.

Again, the comparison of these particular features in the video image to the other photos offers no conclusive proof.

However, it was the comparison of another feature which convinced me it was, indeed, not Mr Deghayes in the video footage.

The photographs of him both as a 17-year-old and as a young man show he has rather protruding ears.

On the video-still, only one ear is visible but it is quite clear it is in almost perfect alignment with the side of the face.

The face is at an angle, affording a potentially greater view of the ear's flat plane.

If it were to be facing straight on, there would barely be any view of the ear's flat plane whatsoever.

On the other hand, although Mr Deghayes is looking out of both photographs face-on, his ears are more visible than in the video image.

When you consider the highly-sophisticated computer-generated facial-mapping techniques available to the intelligence agencies, it is surprising they have made this glaring oversight.

It is, however, possible Mr Deghayes has had cosmetic surgery in order to flatten his ears since the early photos were taken. This would, of course, render my observations invalid.

-P Glen, Hove