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Professor acquitted of funding Islamist group

By Robert GreenTue Dec 6, 4:07 PM ET

A federal jury on Tuesday found a former Florida professor not guilty of funding a banned Islamist group in a verdict likely to be seen as a stiff blow to the U.S. government in its attempts to prosecute terror suspects.

The jury in Tampa, Florida, took 13 days to deliver its verdict against Sami al-Arian, who along with three co-defendants was accused of raising money for Palestinian group Islamic Jihad.

The panel, delivering verdicts six months to the day after the trial started, found al-Arian not guilty of conspiracy to murder, providing material support to a terrorist group and obstruction of justice.

The other men, Sameeh Hammoudeh, Hatem Fariz and Ghassan Ballut, were also cleared of most of the charges against them.

The jury was deadlocked on several other charges and U.S. District Judge James Moody declared a mistrial on those counts.

Prosecutors will have to decide whether to retry the men on the undecided charges.

The four were arrested in February 2003 and accused of providing money and support to Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group the United States designated as a terrorist organization in 1997.

The U.S. government blames Islamic Jihad for killing more than 100 people in Israel, including three Americans.

When the defendants were arrested, then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said al-Arian was Islamic Jihad's North American leader. The defendants denied the charges and said any money they sent to the group was for charitable activities.

The prosecutors' case during the five-month trial in Tampa was based mostly on thousands of hours of wiretapped telephone calls, intercepted e-mails and faxes and bank records gathered over a decade.

Federal prosecutors said al-Arian, a former professor at the University of South Florida, ran an Islamic Jihad cell in Tampa with the help of the other three men.

There were over 70 witnesses called in the trial, which began June 6. None of the defendants testified in his own defense and Al-Arian and Ballut did not call any witnesses.

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Niteshift

I was actually surprised at the fractured verdict.

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killer12382

Don't think for a minute that the government is done with him....he's not going anywhere.

Higher Logic

And you can provide evidence for this where?

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troublemaker_42

Do you ever have anything optamistic to say, or do you constantly find the negatives (real or imagined) in every possible scenario. I've yet to see a post from you that isn't complaining about something, or seeing the absolute worst case scenario, no matter what the subject. i suppose you're one of those people, who when told to have a nice day, responds with "Well, thats doubtful"

 

killer12382

Just telling the truth as I see it.....if you wish to wear blinders and not see the world as it really is, then so be it. Ignorance is bliss.

Higher Logic

Don't you mean, "just telling my opinion as I see it" Truth would imply a factual statement supported by evidence You're only speculating.

Niteshift

Don't think for a minute that the government is done with him....he's not going anywhere.

Actually, he may be right.

The guy wasn't acquitted of all charges, just some of them. The rest were a mistrial and the prosecution hasn't decided if they'd try him again or not:

"Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida computer engineering professor, wept after the verdicts, and his attorney, Linda Moreno hugged him. He will return to jail until prosecutors decide whether to retry him on the deadlocked charges."

http://www.napavalleyregister.com/ar...iq_3200852.txt

I haven't seen a specific count, but all the accounts I've read mention a single juror complaining that the rest of the jury was pressuring her. If it was a lone hold out on the jury regarding the other charges, like it sounds, I bet they will try him again.

killer12382

I'd bet money on that. There are some federal prosecutors with egg on their face and they don't like that at all. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That way of thinking worked on Gotti.

killer12382

All the feds have to do is label him an enemy combatant and down the rabbit hole he goes.