Two men accused of agreeing to broadcast the Hezbollah television channel Al Manar in the United States will face trial on terrorism charges in January, a US judge ruled on Wednesday. US District Judge Richard Berman set January 5, 2009 as the trial date for Javed Iqbal, 44, and Saleh Elahwal, 55, in what defence lawyers said was one of the more unusual terrorism cases moving through US courts.
Iqbal was arrested and initially charged in August 2006 on allegations he negotiated on behalf of his Brooklyn-based company HDTV Ltd with representatives of the Beirut-based Al Manar network to air the channel in America. Iqbal, a Pakistani who moved to the US more than 25 years ago, and Elahwal, who lives in New Jersey and who prosecutors say also operated HDTV, were indicted three months later. Initial court documents said Al Manar between December 2005 and March 2006 paid them more than $111,000. |