I lived five years in Saudi Arabia, two years in Iran, and traveled extensively in the region. When my wife saw his picture (the original one in the mall), she said he wasn't Hispanic and my daughter and I said the same thing. He definitely was from the Middle East, Turkey or Iran.
I'll point out that a lot of Freepers on the "live" thread last night while this situation was unfolding were insisting that the guy was a Muslim -- but I don't think a single person thought he was from Turkey. Most folks seemed to think he was Pakistani.
I'm not an expert on ethnicities, but I think I'd have an easier time differentiating a Pakistani from a Turk than a Turk from a Hispanic.
When you see many photos of people or see them in their native land you do get to the point where you can tell the distinctions....often times they can be subtle but they’re there.