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| Money Evidence presented in al-Arian case |
| 2005-07-14 |
| TAMPA - A conversation about money for ``martyrs'' and faxes discussing proposals on how to run the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were part of the evidence introduced in the trial of Sami Al-Arian on Wednesday. Prosecutors continued laying out their case against Al- Arian, a former University of South Florida professor accused of helping run and finance the Islamic Jihad. Items introduced Wednesday purportedly demonstrated that Al- Arian was deeply involved in conducting the affairs of the organization in the mid-'90s. Although the meaning of many of the faxes and conversations admitted into evidence was not always obvious, the prosecution maintains they show Al-Arian making proposals to other Islamic Jihad officials for running the organization. They included suggestions for financial reform and working with another terrorist group, Hamas. Al-Arian is on trial, along with Sameeh Hammoudeh, Hatim Naji Fariz and Ghassan Zayed Ballut, on charges including racketeering and providing material support to a terrorist organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has claimed responsibility for numerous suicide bombings in Israel and the occupied territories. President Clinton outlawed support for the organization in January 1995. Although Al-Arian previously denied involvement in the Islamic Jihad, his attorney, William Moffitt, suggested to jurors in his opening statement last month that Al-Arian did belong, but left in the spring of 1994 after other members refused to go along with his proposal that they pursue peaceful activities. Translator Introduces Documents Jurors were not told details about much of the evidence admitted on Wednesday. Rather, documents were introduced through translator Tahsim Ali, who was questioned by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cherie Krigsman. Ali identified the documents by number and briefly described as them as telephone conversations or faxes. Ali said, when he knew, who was involved in the phone conversations and whose names were on the faxes. Among the exhibits was a fax allegedly sent by Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shikaki to Al- Arian on Feb. 7, 1997. According to the indictment, the fax was about a meeting an Islamic Jihad representative had attended in Iran regarding Islamic Jihad finances. It discusses a meeting ``in the north'' between someone named Mohammad and someone described only as ``the short one.'' It says, in part, ``Mohammad strongly presented the issue and made him understand that the suggestion is final.'' One of the telephone transcripts admitted into evidence involves a March 6, 1994, conversation between Al-Arian and Fawaz Damra, a Cleveland cleric listed in the indictment as unindicted co-conspirator No. 1. According to Ali's translation, the two men discussed money for martyrs. The prosecution alleges that referred to aid for families of Islamic Jihad members who had died fighting for the cause, such as in suicide bombings. ``We want to send $100 to each kid,'' Al-Arian says. A bit later, Damra says, ``But what about the martyrs in Hebron?'' ``Brother, don't feel sorry for them,'' Al-Arian replies. ``King Fahd sent $50,000 to each one of them.'' A bit later, Damra says, ``OK, so what's that mean? We should not collect money?'' ``I mean $50,000,'' Al-Arian says. ``If you don't send $2,000, he wouldn't care. Consider the other poor people.'' ``Ha, ha!'' Damra says. ``You mean that you want to focus on Gaza, that's it?'' ``Not only Gaza. Gaza and the West Bank.'' One fax admitted into evidence was allegedly sent by Al- Arian on July 29, 1994, to someone named Ahmed Yousef. The fax allegedly contained a proposal to unify the activities of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas. 1991 Videotape Shown To Jurors The translation reads, in part, ``In order to bring into effect the objective of the unity of the vision and strategy of the Hamas and Jihad movements, a Shura (advisory) council of the Islamic movement in Palestinian will be constituted of 35 individuals ... '' Also Wednesday, Krigsman played a 1991 videotape for jurors. It depicts a Sept. 27, 1991, conference of the Islamic Committee for Palestine, an organization founded by Al- Arian. On the video, Al-Arian tells his audience, ``We have no choice but the choice of continuation, the choice of perseverance, the choice of jihad, the choice of settling ourselves to the pursuit of our enemies, and support this Intifada until the balance of power is altered.'' |
| Posted by:Mrs. Davis |
| #1 http://frontpagemag.com/articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=15344 Yes, these guys are raising money all across America and shipping it to Syria to go down to Palestine, the Palestinian areas, and hire suicide bombers to kill Jews. They sent me the videotapes. There was Professor al-Arian on stage and one of his friends gets up and says, âNow, who will give me $500 to kill a Jew? There are people standing by in Jerusalem who will go out in the street and stab a Jew with a knife, but we need $500.â And he said, âAll of this money will go to the Islamic committee for Palestine.â And that is the front group in the United States for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-07-14 13:12 |