USF professor Al-Arian arrested at his home, charged as a leading terrorist supporter

[Times photo: Toni L Sandys 2001]

March 22, 2004
Al-Arian trial may become test case
Concerns about evidence, defendant complaints and the Patriot Act are brewing into a major legal clash.

January 22, 2004
Charges in terror case challenged
The legal team for Sami Al-Arian and 3 co-defendants argues they have rights to free speech and association.

January 14, 2004
Cleric with Al-Arian link arrested
Ohio Islamic leader Fawaz Damra is accused of not fully disclosing his involvement with anti-Israel groups when he applied for U.S. citizenship.

December 31, 2003
Al-Arian case likely to test Patriot Act
TAMPA - For nearly a decade, FBI intelligence agents had been tapping 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.

December 10, 2003
Warrants against Al-Arian shredded
The search warrants outlined the reasons behind searches and seizures in 1995 at the former USF professor's home and office.

December 2, 2003
Al-Arian transcripts questioned
Interpretation of key evidence used to build the case against the suspected terrorism supporter is inaccurate, a co-defendant says.

November 8, 2003
Al-Arian's new lawyer argues on old issues
TAMPA - Sami Al-Arian's new defense attorney William Moffitt attended his first hearing in front of federal Magistrate Judge Thomas McCoun on Friday.

November 4, 2003
Al-Arian can't use prison law library
A judge allows Sami Al-Arian to have private talks with his lawyers but won't let him use the law library.

November 1, 2003
Al-Arian attorney plans his strategy
He says he'll first address the government on the conditions under which the former USF professor is being held.

September 24, 2003
Al-Arian seeks time in jail to find lawyer
Sami Al-Arian asked a judge to allow him to stay in a Hillsborough jail until Sept. 29 so he can interview lawyers.

September 13, 2003
Access to Al-Arian tapes limited
A federal judge restricted access to the recordingsto protect innocent people from being tied to terrorists.

September 9, 2003
Toss out terrorism charges, Al-Arian asks federal judge
TAMPA - Casting himself as a First Amendment martyr being persecuted for expressing unpopular political views, Sami Al-Arian is asking a federal judge to drop charges that he aided terrorists.

September 3, 2003
Deporting Al-Najjar: $138,995
When former University of South Florida instructor Mazen Al-Najjar was deported last year, it took a private jet, four pilots and a four-man escort to get him from Florida to Beirut, Lebanon.

August 30, 2003
Suspect in baby food scam has Al-Arian tie
Deputies say the owner of several stores that sold stolen baby formula rents one location from the jailed ex-USF professor.

August 28, 2003
Al-Arian allowed access to tapes
How to listen to 20,000 hours' worth of secret federal recordings? "Set priorities," a judge advises, and lets a paralegal help.

August 16, 2003
Former professor guilty of immigration charges
The former University of Central Florida professor helped Sami Al-Arian found a group suspected of terror ties.

August 15, 2003
Professor guilty in immigration case
The former University of Central Florida professor helped Sami Al-Arian found a group suspected of terror ties.

August 14, 2003
Lawyers oppose Al-Arian requests
A judge will decide on the list of privileges Al-Arian says will help build his case.

August 7, 2003
Al-Arian tapes may be released
A U.S. judge says he may let four defendants listen to all wiretaps recorded in a years-long terrorism investigation.

August 1, 2003
Affidavit: Al-Arian's group got money from Saudi charity
The former USF professor's civil liberties group received $10,000 from a group linked to terrorism, a statement from a U.S. Customs Service agent says.

July 26, 2003
Fired USF professor to act as own lawyer
TAMPA - Fired University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, facing life in prison if convicted of having terrorist ties, will represent himself in court.

July 19, 2003
Islamic Academy to lose state aid
The school, which was co-founded by ex-USF professor Sami Al-Arian, denies it supports any illegal activities.

July 18, 2003
State funds go to school with alleged terror ties
TAMPA - Senate Democrats urged Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday to cut off payments to a school co-founded by a professor accused of being the North American leader of a worldwide terrorist group.

July 9, 2003
Al-Arian requests change of lawyers
A pair of high-profile Washington lawyers may take over the former USF professor's defense in the terrorism-related case.

June 14, 2003
USF faces censure vote today
A national group will decide if the school should be punished for firing a professor with alleged terrorist ties.

June 6, 2003
Al-Arian's trial set for early 2005
Lawyers for the former USF professor vow to fight the judge's decision, saying their client has a right to a speedy trial.

May 29, 2003
Judge denies move for Al-Arian
His and another prisoner's complaints about prison conditions get little sympathy.

May 15, 2003
Group says USF trampled rights
Despite a terrorism indictment, the school failed to give Sami Al-Arian due process, an academic association says.

May 8, 2003
Defense to get tapes in terror case soon
Making all tapes available will be a job, and both sides in the case involving Sami Al-Arian are hashing out details.

May 2, 2003
Al-Arian seeks to represent himself in court
Defending himself could give the former professor access to classified documents.

April 16, 2003
Two in Al-Arian case to get bail
The men accused of supporting a terrorist group have a chance to get out on bail before trial.

April 11, 2003
Judge denies bail to Al-Arian

April 8, 2003
Taxpayers get bill for Al-Arian defense team
A judge appoints two attorneys after learning that the defendant has had difficulty raising money.

March 30, 2003
Al-Arian translated for military
We know that Sami Al-Arian, accused of being a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative, visited the Bush White House for a briefing and lobbied Congress to abolish secret evidence in terrorism cases. But was he also lending a hand to the Pentagon?

March 28, 2003
Al-Arian moved to federal facility
The former USF professor, suspected of funding a terrorist group, has been moved for security reasons.

March 27, 2003
Muslim linked to Al-Arian trained military chaplains
WASHINGTON -- An Islamic scholar -- a man court records suggest is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Sami Al-Arian case -- has played a key role in training Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military, prompting a U.S. senator to pursue a Pentagon investigation.

March 26, 2003
Al-Arian's lawyers cite size of investigation
They predict it will be at least two years before a trial starts, given the mountain of records and tapes to be examined.

March 25, 2003
Al-Arian's bid to get out of jail faces new hurdle
Federal immigration officials want to keep him in custody, even if a magistrate grants him bail.

March 22, 2003
Witnesses vouch for Al-Arian's character
TAMPA -- Character witnesses swore in court Friday that Sami Al-Arian never gave them reason to believe allegations he was a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

March 21, 2003
Al-Arian associate arrested on immigration charges
ORLANDO -- A University of Central Florida professor, who is friends with two prominent Palestinian-Americans arrested in recent months, was taken into federal custody and charged with immigration violations.

March 1, 2003
Jailed Al-Arian taken to hospital
TAMPA -- Sami Al-Arian, jailed last week on federal charges of being a terrorist, was treated at a hospital Friday evening after a jail physician saw symptoms that "caused him concern," officials said.

Feb. 28, 2003
Al-Arian vows to fight for job
But an attorney says the fired professor will likely focus first on the federal criminal charges he faces.

Feb. 27, 2003
Staunch Al-Arian supporter now says he was deceived
Arthur Lowrie, one of Sami Al-Arian's staunchest supporters for more than a decade, said Wednesday that he was deceived.

USF fires Al-Arian after terrorism charges
The university has accused the professor of misusing his position in order to operate a terrorist organization.

Feb. 26, 2003
Al-Arian stirs the court of public opinion
A judge delays the bail hearing for the USF professor. Outside court, his supporters protest the charges against him.

Al-Arian will remain on paid leave at USF
TAMPA -- Citing safety concerns, the University of South Florida has reaffirmed its decision to keep Sami Al-Arian on paid leave.

Feb. 25, 2003
Bush, Al-Arian photo resurfaces
WASHINGTON -- With the arrest of Sami Al-Arian on terrorism charges last week, an old family photo of the University of South Florida professor with then-candidate George W. Bush is popping up again in print.

Suspect's employer: 'I'm not involved' in terrorism
SPRING HILL -- Dr. Ayman Osman considers University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, arrested Thursday on charges that he financed terrorists, to be a casual acquaintance.

Feb. 24, 2003
Specter of terrorism in our back yard
Sweet, peaceful Hernando County. In the age of terrorism -- of jetliners crashing into buildings, of sleeper cells and car bombs -- Hernando County was supposed to be our little refuge.

Feb. 23, 2003
Al-Arian in good spirits, wife says
TAMPA -- Sami Al-Arian is spending his days at Tampa's Orient Road Jail praying and reciting chapters of the Koran that he has memorized.

Feb. 22, 2003
Feds home in on bickering, power clash
Much of the federal indictment against Sami Al-Arian focuses on early 1994 when, it says, he was trying to reform Islamic Jihad's finances.
Court offers oversight of intelligence-gathering
WASHINGTON -- There are no gavels, bailiffs or benches in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Its classified work takes place in a vault-like secure room at the Department of Justice.
Case raises questions on money flow
A $103,000 wire transfer from the United States to the Beirut bank account of the treasurer of a notorious terrorist organization. Thousands of dollars wired from a Bank of America account to a bank in Tel Aviv, then distributed to the spouses of jailed Palestinian terrorists.
Al-Arian's lawyers face numerous challenges
TAMPA -- By any measure, Sami Al-Arian's attorneys face a monumental task.
Al-Arian backers: Rights imperiled
TAMPA -- Supporters of Sami Al-Arian said Friday the indicted University of South Florida professor deserves due process, a fair trial and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Islamic Jihad rules out retaliation against U.S.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The militant Islamic Jihad said Friday it will not attack American targets to retaliate for the U.S. arrest of four alleged members and the indictment of four others on terrorism-related charges.
Before FBI arrest, man quietly settled in here
Hatem Naji Fariz, arrested Thursday in connection with Sami Al-Arian and the financing of terrorists, had moved to Spring Hill recently with his wife and two children.
Suspect's employer: 'I'm not involved'
Dr. Ayman Osman says office manager Hatem Fariz, arrested Thursday with Sami Al-Arian, never asked him for money for terrorist causes.
Local arrest raises eyebrows, fears
The FBI's arrest of a Spring Hill man on terrorism-related charges surprises some who say such events are the stuff of big-city life.

Feb. 21, 2003

[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys] Government employees haul away evidence from Al-Arian's apartment.

Al-Arian raised money for terrorists, feds say
The USF professor is among eight defendants accused of financing, managing and supervising Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
After years of worry about her husband: 'They're here'
TAMPA -- The knock came at 5:15 a.m.
Jihad leader emerged from shadows of USF
Almost eight years have passed since Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, an obscure professor at the University of South Florida, departed to become head of a Middle East terrorist organization.
Hammoudeh a bright scholar, USF peers say
TAMPA -- Members of the campus community at the University of South Florida knew Sameeh Hammoudeh as a father, part-time Arabic instructor and dedicated doctoral student.
Fariz worked for doctor, visited Mecca recently
SPRING HILL -- For the better part of a year, Hatem Naji Fariz managed the business affairs of a Hernando County doctor's office. He lived in an attractive Spring Hill home with a child's plastic basketball hoop in the driveway.
USF faces decisions on Al-Arian
TAMPA -- University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian's arrest on terrorism charges Thursday was seen as vindication for the school's efforts to fire him -- and a sign of more trying times ahead.
Local Muslims deny Al-Arian fits government description
TAMPA -- At the Islamic Academy of Florida, the school Sami Al-Arian helped run, federal agents carted out dozens of boxes Thursday from the administration trailer. They talked at length to the principal, who tried to keep the day normal.
Balance sometimes lacking in TV's Al-Arian coverage
For some news outlets, the Thursday arrest of suspended University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian seemed like confirmation of suspicions they had been airing for years.
Intercepting evidence likely took 'small army'
TAMPA -- In the case against Sami Al-Arian and his co-defendants, federal prosecutors are relying heavily on intercepted telephone calls and faxes that purportedly establish links to terrorists in the Middle East.
Al-Arian's rise in U.S. began in academics
He came to America in 1975 to study and became a professor. He was admired by students and led Islamic causes.
Context clues indicate unnamed co-conspirator is Mazen Al-Najjar
TAMPA -- The indictment against Sami Al-Arian includes numerous references to an "Unindicted Co-conspirator Twelve," a man federal prosecutors say played an active role in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Breach in 'the wall' opened intelligence to investigators
WASHINGTON -- Law enforcement officials called it "the wall." And when it came down last November, criminal investigators pursuing Sami Al-Arian suddenly found themselves awash in critical new evidence for their case.
Sami Al-Arian, in his words
ON TERRORISM
Howard Troxler: Which face of Al-Arian should be believed?
I spent a long time Thursday with a yellow highlighter and Sami Al-Arian's federal indictment. Now it is getting late in the evening, but two feelings keep colliding in my brain, over and over.
Editorial: The Al-Arian indictment
Whether or not it amounted to criminal conduct, the USF professor's activity in support of an Islamic terrorist group is laid out in damning detail.

Sami Al-Arian Sami Al-Arian is walked in cuffs through the Federal Building in Tampa Thursday morning. [Times photo: Ken Helle] Top right: Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a professor at the University of South Florida, addresses members of the media on September 29, 2001 after it was announced that he was placed on paid leave by the university after the school began to receive threats in response to Al-Arian's appearance on the O'Reilly Factor. [Times photo: Toni L Sandys 2001]

Feb.20, 2003

The indictment (from U.S. Dept. of Justice) PDF
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Al-Arian Timeline

From 10 News
• Ashcroft's news conference: (56k | High-Speed)
• Clip from 10's newscast: (56k | High-Speed)

Updates from AP