Free Republic

Al-Arian terror financing case puts Patriot Act to the test By VICKIE CHACHEREAssociated Press Writer TAMPA, Fla. -- For nearly a decade, FBI intelligence agents had been taping the telephones and intercepting the faxes of Sami Al-Arian and keeping secret what they knew about the professor's suspected ties to Palestinian terrorists - even from their colleagues working a criminal case against the same man. The full breadth of what the bureau knew about Al-Arian and others connected to the professor's charity, Muslim school and think tank was finally revealed in the spring of 2002. FBI Agent Joe Navarro walked into...

A jailed University of South Florida professor accused of leading the U.S. operations of a Palestinian terrorist group said Monday that he is a "prisoner of conscience" and the victim of post-Sept. 11 hysteria. Sami Al-Arian made those charges in his first statement since his arrest last week. His 17-year-old daughter read it to reporters outside the courthouse after his scheduled detention hearing had been postponed until next month. Supporters rallied nearby as she spoke. "I'm crucified today because of who I am, a stateless Palestinian, an Arab and Muslim, an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights," wrote the tenured computer...