Eight Charged With Ties to Terrorism
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Feb 21, 8:06 AM (ET)
By RACHEL LA CORTE
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - For more than seven years, a Palestinian professor in Florida has been under federal scrutiny for possible ties to terrorists.
Armed with information from wiretaps on telephones and faxes, a 1995 FBI raid of an Islamic think tank, and conferences and meetings, federal prosecutors now believe the professor and seven others had alleged ties to a terrorist group responsible for 100 deaths.
On Thursday, a 50-count indictment was unsealed against computer engineering professor Sami Al-Arian - on paid leave from the University of South Florida - and seven other alleged members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Al-Arian was identified as the group's U.S. leader. He directed the audit of all the group's money and property throughout the world from his home and workplace in Tampa, the indictment said.
And this was the story from almost two years ago. One may notice from the names and pictures it is the same Sami Al-Arian. Don't let your dislike of Tblshow color your judgement.
Editor's note: Today's column is the third of three on the World Trade Center attack. Read parts 1 and 2.
© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com
Previously I've written about my Arab- and Muslim-American neighbors' efforts to block counterterrorism measures.
Of course, those efforts were before the attacks of Sept. 11. Now, Arab- and Muslim-American leaders have engaged in a united public relations campaign against terrorism. And while most Arab- and Muslim-Americans are innocent and law-abiding, it's a campaign that rings hollow, given the terrorists they have openly supported.
Among the most frightening examples of this is the brazen Al-Arian family of Tampa, Fla. Sami Al-Arian is a University of South Florida professor and his son Abdullah, a Duke student, was an intern for Democratic whip, Rep. David Bonior, a Michigan gubernatorial candidate who is very supportive of Arab-American leaders' efforts to block reasonable counterterrorism measures.
Dr. Al-Arian is the author of this speech: "We assemble today to pay respects to the march of the martyrs and to the river of blood that gushes forth and does not extinguish, from butchery to butchery, and from martyrdom to martyrdom, from Jihad to Jihad."
But, according to the July 16 Newsweek, during a campaign speech in Tampa, last year, candidate Bush singled his son, Abdullah, out in the crowd, something done for specially selected, pre-screened individuals to which a candidate wants to draw attention. Calling Abdullah, "Big Dude" – one of his trademark nicknames reserved for close advisors and White House press, Bush and wife Laura posed for pictures with the Arian family, standing right next to Dr. Al-Arian.
 Laura and George W. Bush (3rd and 4th from left) with Islamic Jihad frontman Sami Al-Arian (third from right) and family (son, Abdullah "Big Dude" Al-Arian, is on far left). |
I am not one of Tableshows ardent admirers around here, but you, Howlin, and others around here need to get beyond your dislike for the individual and get to the meat of what he is saying. If Grover Norquist is responsible for GW's links to this man and those like him, then Grover Norquist needs to go. PERIOD. I support our President. Although I am befuddled by his continual, albeit absent as of recent weeks, defense of Islam as a "Religion of Peace". Politically this has the same stink to it as the Pictures of Clinton with the dope dealers and AlGore at the Buddist Temple. And the media will really run with this during the campaign season. |