Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020101377.html
Two Men Acquitted of Conspiracy to Fund Hamas Activities in Israel
[Washington Post] Dan Eggen - A federal jury in Chicago acquitted two men Thursday of charges that they were part of a long-running conspiracy to finance Hamas activities in Israel. But Abdelhaleem Ashqar, 48, and Muhammad Salah, 53, were found guilty of lesser charges: Ashqar was convicted of obstruction of justice and criminal contempt for refusing to testify in front of a grand jury, while Salah was convicted of obstruction for providing false answers in a civil lawsuit. Salah was accused of helping funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to militant groups in the West Bank and Gaza. He was captured by the Israelis with $100,000 in cash in 1993 and allegedly confessed to being a military commander in Hamas. Ashqar was alleged to have helped launder money and facilitate communications for Hamas.