Sentence:  From the luggage , they learned that the two air pirates , far from being Cubans , <WSD>were</WSD> native Americans , subsequently identified as Leon Bearden , 50 - year-old ex-convict from Coolidge , Ariz. , and his son , Cody , 16 , a high-school junior . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  be identical to; be someone or something