State: Al-Arian collapses at jail

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Al-Arian collapses at jail

He was on the 23rd day of a hunger strike.

By MEG LAUGHLIN
Published February 16, 2007

Sami Al-Arian, who has been on a hunger strike since mid January, collapsed this week in a Virginia jail.

At daybreak Tuesday, guards discovered him lying unconscious on the concrete floor of a shower room in the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Va., and called for medical help, according to Nahla Al-Arian, his wife.

It was the 23rd day of a hunger strike during which he had consumed water only.

Al-Arian was transported Tuesday to a federal corrections medical facility in Butner, N.C. Officials there would not comment on his condition.

Al-Arian is on a hunger strike to protest being held in jail beyond his sentence for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. In May, as part of a plea agreement, he was convicted of aiding associates of a terrorist group in nonviolent ways.

Researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report.

[Last modified February 16, 2007, 01:45:24]

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by Sroor	03/14/07 11:43 PM
You people who do not care about this man's suffering, do you know that after spending millions of your $$'s, the government could find NOTHING tying him to terrorism? Do you want justice here or lynch-mob courts? What if this was you?

by Syed	02/18/07 10:19 PM
Please research the history of the court proceedings before insulting anyone.

by Sarah	02/18/07 04:46 AM
Dr. Al- Arian is not a terrorist nor did he aid any terrorists. You shouldn't rely on Fox News for your information. Stop being so ignorant and look into the situation before you make any judgements about it.

by gail	02/17/07 09:47 PM
Who cares? The guy is a skunk. CAIR IS A FRONT FOR HAMAS AND SHOULD BE HELD IN LESS ESTEEM THAN THE KKK. To check: go to Anti-CAIR.com or go to CAIRWATCH.com See what happened when Barbara Boxer (CA) gave an award to CAIR - she had to recind it.

by Kate	02/16/07 05:34 PM
It's news because Dr al-Arian is an innocent man, whom the government has never succeeded in convicting of terrorism despite years of trying. I would hope that if you were in this position someone would help you.

by John	02/16/07 05:16 PM
He should eat something - he'll feel better. If he dies in jail he'll never be released. Since release is his goal this seems to be a poor strategy.

by Ken	02/16/07 01:59 PM
I can not find any sympathy in my heart for him. His humger strike is meaningless to me. Terrorist and those that assist and associate with them do not deserve our pity. he is where he should be, in jail.

by Hatem Abunimeh	02/16/07 01:46 PM
The justice department is unwittingly aiding Dr. Al-Arian to elevate his status to "Martyr". He is being harassed for refusing to testify to something that he already was absolved of testifying about in a previous plea bargaining agreement. You can b

by Larry	02/16/07 08:53 AM
Why is this news?