(New York Times) Eric Lichtblau - Whether Sami Al-Arian crossed the line from outspoken advocacy to terrorism is now a central question as he and three co-defendants go on trial in federal court in Tampa on Monday on terrorism and racketeering charges. Al-Arian is accused of being a leading figure in Palestinian Islamic Jihad and in financing and organizing terror attacks. The case, a decade in the making, has served as a flashpoint for debates over the limits of academic freedom, the role of American Muslims in supporting the Palestinian intifada, the government's expanded powers under the USA Patriot Act, and its strategy in terror investigations before and after the Sept. 11 attacks. In preparation for the trial, the government has collected more than 20,000 hours of taped phone conversations through wiretaps.
2005-06-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive