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The same counsel prosecuting and defending the criminal contempt of Dr. Al-Arian for refusing to testify before the grand jury in Northern Virginia are the respective counsel in the case involving microbiologist Ali Al-Timimi, who his lawyer describes as an “anthrax weapons suspect.”

Who was at the 2001 (and/or 2002) meetings referenced below on the subject of advocacy against the use of secret evidence in immigration proceedings?

The same defense lawyers use similar language as used in the affidavit below in explaining that microbiologist Al-Timimi met with the “911 imam” Anwar Aulaqi in coordinating the outreach to the US government over 9/11 in October 2002. Ali then arranged to have a letter from Bin Laden’s sheik hand-delivered to every member of Congress on the first anniversary of the anthrax mailings.

Were Al-Timimi and the “911 imam” at these meetings chaired by Sami Al-Arian? Is that why they are being so aggressive toward Al-Arian?

As I recall, Leahy and Daschle were involved in approval of MLAT, a treaty that would allow the use of secret evidence from abroad. The blind sheik Abdel-Rahman’s previous liaison had been held for years based on secret evidence, as had (Lynne Stewart’s partner) Stanley Cohen’s client Abu Marzouk. Does the Department of Justice suspect that one or more people complicitous in the anthrax mailings attended the 2001 and 2002 meetings? This same AUSA argued the case on appeal before the Fourth Circuit — recently affirmed — involving someone who I recall as being a former GMU student. While I am ignorant of all matters relating to Palestine/Israel, and Department of Justice practices, it seems notable that the AUSA prosecuting Al-Timimi is pressing so hard for information in other cases.

In a 21-page June 12, 2008 affidavit by Dr. Sami Al-Arian (that was followed by a detailed supplementary affidavit two weeks later), he affirms:

“46. During the 1999-2000 presidential campaign and up until September 11, 2001, I was very much involved in lobbying activities before Congress and in lobbying the administration to ban the use of secret evidence in immigration proceedings, among other civil rights issues. I recall having contacted a couple of dozen Muslim leaders and intellectuals across the United States in the summer of 2001 to establish a permanent lobbying group and political training organization. ... They encouraged me to pursue the project and promised to promote it as best they could when it got off the ground. The full plan for such organization was seized in the 2003 search and is currently in the FBI Tampa office.

47. I chaired a strategy and brain-storming session regarding this project in July 2001 in the northern Virginia area. I recall that it was attended by several of the above mentioned individuals. The minutes of the meeting and the attendance list were seized by the FBI during the 2003 search and is currently in the FBI office in Tampa.

48. After September 11, 2001, I chaired another meeting in the northern Virginia area (possibly in late 2001 or early 2002) which was attended by at least a dozen people including some people from IIIT. I believed that the objective of the meeting was to explore an effective strategy for the Muslim community in the United States to respond to the 9/11 tragedy. The minutes of this meeting meeting, along with the attendance list, were seized by the FBI during the 2003 search and are currently being held in the FBI office in Tampa.”