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FBI Arrests Florida Professor Accused of Terror Ties
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — A University of South Florida professor previously accused of having terrorist ties was arrested early Thursday by federal agents.
Television reports showed Sami Al-Arian being led in handcuffs by authorities to the federal courthouse in Tampa after the arrest. His indictment is sealed until a court hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon, a federal source said on condition on anonymity.
"It's all about politics," Al-Arian told reporters as agents led him inside.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa said last year that Al-Arian was under federal investigation, but refused to elaborate.
The tenured Palestinian computer engineering professor was placed on forced leave and banned from campus shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and his subsequent appearance on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor.
He was quizzed about links to known terrorists, and asked about tapes from the late 1980s and early 1990s in which he said "Death to Israel" in Arabic. The university says that hurt the school's fund-raising efforts and resulted in threats being made against the school.
The university also claims the professor raised money for terrorist groups, brought terrorists into the United States, and founded organizations that support terrorism.
Al-Arian and his brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar, founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprises, a now-defunct Islamic think tank at USF that was raided by the FBI in 1995. Al-Arian also founded the Islamic Concern Project Inc. in 1988.
Al-Arian has lived in the United States since 1975. He had never been charged with a crime and has consistently denied any connection to terrorists.
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — A University of South Florida professor previously accused of having terrorist ties was arrested early Thursday by federal agents.
Television reports showed Sami Al-Arian being led in handcuffs by authorities to the federal courthouse in Tampa after the arrest. His indictment is sealed until a court hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon, a federal source said on condition on anonymity.
"It's all about politics," Al-Arian told reporters as agents led him inside.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa said last year that Al-Arian was under federal investigation, but refused to elaborate.
The tenured Palestinian computer engineering professor was placed on forced leave and banned from campus shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and his subsequent appearance on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor.
He was quizzed about links to known terrorists, and asked about tapes from the late 1980s and early 1990s in which he said "Death to Israel" in Arabic. The university says that hurt the school's fund-raising efforts and resulted in threats being made against the school.
The university also claims the professor raised money for terrorist groups, brought terrorists into the United States, and founded organizations that support terrorism.
Al-Arian and his brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar, founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprises, a now-defunct Islamic think tank at USF that was raided by the FBI in 1995. Al-Arian also founded the Islamic Concern Project Inc. in 1988.
Al-Arian has lived in the United States since 1975. He had never been charged with a crime and has consistently denied any connection to terrorists.
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