FBI monitored Tampa terrorist cell for decade (Al-Arian, unsealed affidavit details investigation)

FBI agents monitored a group of Palestinian men in Florida for more than a decade and drew the connections between Middle East terrorists and the group of seemingly quiet academics through a web of money transfers, faxes and scanned mail, according to court documents released Thursday.

In an affidavit more than 100-pages long, FBI Agent Kerry Myers detailed the long investigation of former University of South Professor Sami Al-Arian and three others who are named in a 50-count federal racketeering indictment.

The affidavit was used to obtain a judge's permission to search the defendants' homes when they were arrested in February. It was unsealed Thursday after Al-Arian's defense attorneys requested it.

Many of the details of the evidence gathered in the case has been made public since the document was presented to U.S. District Judge Thomas McCoun in subsequent court hearings. The FBI was seeking to convince the judge that Al-Arian and the others constituted a "terrorist cell" of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the United States and said years of money transfers, wire taps and intercepted faxes backup their case.

Myers said in the sworn affidavit that FBI wiretaps dated back to December 1993, years before it became publicly known that Al-Arian and Palestinian Islamic Jihad head Ramadan Shallah were under investigation, the affidavit said. Shallah headed up Al-Arian's think tank until 1995, when he left to assume the leadership of the PIJ.

Shallah, who is in Syria, is among four other men named in the indictment who have not been arrested.

Calls to Al-Arian's attorneys were not immediately returned Thursday. Al-Arian, Sameeh Hammoudeh, Hatim Fariz and Ghassan Zayed Ballut have said they are innocent of the charges and are scheduled to go to trial in January 2005.

Al-Arian has denied that he supports terrorism and has accused the government of persecuting him for his anti-Israeli views.

Steve Cole, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, declined to comment on the newly revealed evidence.

The first pieces of evidence tying Al-Arian to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad came following the February 1992 slayings of three people at an Israeli military camp in the occupied territories, the records said. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and four members of the group were arrested.

In June 1993, Al-Arian sent four wire transfers of $2,000 each from his bank in Tampa to the bank accounts in Israel established for the spouses or close relatives of the four terrorists, the affidavit said.

Scores of other telephone calls and faxes between the men and terrorist leaders in the Middle East followed, the affidavit said.

"The intercepts reveal that the defendants were members and heavily involved in PIJ, its financial operations and its ongoing violent efforts to replace the state of Israel with a Palestinian Islamic Republic modeled after the Islamic Republic of Iran," Myers wrote.

Myers, an anti-terrorism expert who once testified in the case against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, also said Al-Arian and the others provided advice on the terrorist group's structure, financing, organization and relationships with other terrorist groups, including Hamas. They used USF as a cover and brought other terrorists into the United States "under the guise of academic conferences, meetings and employment."

If Al-Arian was known to be a threat, would he have been allowed to meet with Bush and then visit the White House?
You throw in the "if" when, to me anyway, there is, and was, no "if".
He was known to be a threat and any who say otherwise are ignorant, then and now.
In part...http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/al-arian_indict_022003.pdf...
26. From in or about 1984, the exact date being unknown to the grand jury, and continuing until in or about the date of this Indictment, in the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere,
A list of names and aka's...
and others, known and unknown, being persons employed by and associated with the enterprise described in Section A of this Count; that is, the PIJ Enterprise, which enterprise engaged in, and its activities affected, interstate and foreign commerce, knowingly, willfully, and unlawfully did combine, conspire, confederate, and agree together and with each other and with other persons, both known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to violate Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962 (c) ; that is, to conduct and participate, directly and indirectly, in the conduct of the affairs of that enterprise, through a pattern of racketeering activity, as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1961( 1) and ( 5) , consisting of:
(a) multiple acts involving murder, in violation of Florida Statutes 782.04; 777.04( 3) ;
(b) multiple acts involving extortion in violation of Florida Statutes 836.05, 777.011 and 777.04;
(c) acts indictable under title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(a) (2) and (h) [ money laundering ] ;
(d) acts indictable under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1952 [interstate or foreign travel or transportation and use of any facilities in interstate or foreign commerce with the intent to promote and carry on an unlawful activity] ;
(e) acts indictable under Title 18, United States Code, Section 956 [conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons in a foreign country] ;
(f) acts indictable under Title 18, United States Code, Section 2339B [ providing material support or resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations ] ; and
(g) acts indictable under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1546 [ fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents ] .

From in or about 1984 it was known that Al-Arian was a threat!
And one more "if" crusher...November 1994 - A PBS documentary, "Jihad in America" alleges Al-Arian is the head of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group's domestic support network. The documentary was created by Steve Emerson.
1996 - Federal agents say in unsealed court documents that they have probable cause to believe the think tank and the charity are fronts for international terrorists.
And one more "we didn't know" buster...SAMI AL-ARIAN FACT SHEET
Snip...On a videotape of a 1991 conference in Cleveland, Ohio, seized by FBI agents, (found in a 1995 raid on his home) al-Arian is introduced as “the president of the Islamic Committee for Palestine, and a short briefing about the Islamic Committee for Palestine, it is the active arm of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, and we like to call it the Islamic Committee for Palestine here for security reasons.” After being introduced, Al-Arian stated, “Let us continue the protests. Let us damn America. Let us damn Israel. Let us damn their allies until death.”
Of course, the Cartoon put a stop to most of this so as not to hurt the feelings/reputation of the muslim community and the American people at large remained mostly ignorant of most of these things.

The "apologetics" in this whole thing is sickening!

Many of the details of the evidence gathered in the case has been made public since the document was presented to U.S. District Judge Thomas McCoun in subsequent court hearings. The FBI was seeking to convince the judge that Al-Arian and the others constituted a "terrorist cell" of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the United States and said years of money transfers, wire taps and intercepted faxes backup their case.

Myers said in the sworn affidavit that FBI wiretaps dated back to December 1993, years before it became publicly known that Al-Arian and Palestinian Islamic Jihad head Ramadan Shallah were under investigation, the affidavit said. Shallah headed up Al-Arian's think tank until 1995, when he left to assume the leadership of the PIJ.

Not too many years. Here are a few links about what was publicly known about the terror investigation of Sami Al Arian, beginning in 1996. In particular, I've highlighted events between 1996 and Sami Al Arian's visit to the White House in July of 2001.
Timeline of events in the investigation into Sami Al-Arian
By The Associated Press
- 1975: Sami Al-Arian, a Kuwait-born Palestinian, arrives in the United States from Egypt at age 17 to study engineering at Southern Illinois University. He later earns a doctorate in engineering from North Carolina State University.

- Jan. 27, 1986: Sami Al-Arian is hired by the University of South Florida College of Engineering.

- Oct. 20, 1988: Al-Arian incorporates the Islamic Concern Project, an umbrella organization that includes the Islamic Committee for Palestine, a charity devoted to Palestinian causes.

- Feb. 21, 1991: Al-Arian incorporates the World and Islam Studies Enterprise, a think tank in Tampa devoted to Islamic thought and political theory.

- April 7, 1991: A speaker introducing Al-Arian at a Cleveland conference calls the Islamic Committee for Palestine "the active arm of the Jihad movement in Palestine."

- Jan. 22, 1995: Two suicide bombers kill 19 people and injure 69 at an Israeli bus stop. The Islamic Jihad claims responsibility.

- Jan. 24, 1995: President Clinton freezes the assets of foreign terrorist groups, including the Islamic Jihad, and bans financial transactions with them.

- Feb. 1, 1995: Al-Arian writes a letter seeking a donation so operations like the one by "the two mujahidin (warriors) who were martyred for the sake of God" can continue.

- April 9, 1995: A suicide bomber driving a van blows up an Israeli bus in the Gaza Strip, killing eight people, including American seminary student Alisa Flatow.

- Oct. 31, 1995: Former World and Islam Studies Enterprise Director Ramadan Abdullah Shallah emerges as the Islamic Jihad's new leader. The World and Islam Studies Enterprise expresses shock.

- Nov. 20, 1995: Federal agents search World and Islam Studies Enterprise's office and Al- Arian's home and office at USF.

- Feb. 26, 1996: The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service denies Al-Arian's petition for naturalization on grounds he registered to vote, and then voted, in 1994 without being a citizen.

- May 2, 1996: USF places Al-Arian on paid leave, effective Aug. 7, pending the outcome of a federal investigation into whether he was running fronts for terrorist organizations. The university lets him return two years later, citing a staffing need and no law enforcement action.

- May 19, 1997: Federal agents arrest Al-Arian's brother-in-law, Mazen Al-Najjar and use secret evidence to jail him as a security threat. Al-Najjar, who had been fighting a deportation order, worked with Al-Arian at the Islamic Committee for Palestine and the World and Islam Studies Enterprise.

- Dec. 15, 2000: Al-Najjar is released after 3 1/2 years in jail without ever being charged. A federal judge says the use of secret evidence violated his rights.

- Sept. 26, 2001: Al-Arian appears on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," where he is 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.

- Sept. 28, 2001: USF trustees endorse President Judy Genshaft's decision to suspend Al-Arian with pay on grounds of campus safety.

- Nov. 24, 2001: Federal agents again jail Al-Najjar in preparation for deportation. His attorneys sue for his release, arguing he cannot find a country willing to accept him.

- Dec. 19, 2001: USF trustees recommend firing Al-Arian for not specifying he doesn't represent the university when he speaks and on grounds his outside activities disrupt the university. Genshaft notifies Al-Arian she intends to fire him.

- Feb. 21, 2002: Interim U.S. Attorney Mac Cauley confirms Al-Arian is under federal investigation.

- Aug. 21, 2002: Al-Najjar is deported, ending a long court fight. On the same day, USF asks a state judge to rule on whether firing Al-Arian would violate his First Amendment rights. In November, at Al-Arian's request, the case moves to federal court.

- Dec. 16, 2002: U.S. District Judge Susan Bucklew dismisses USF's request, saying the court has no role in a labor dispute.

- Feb. 20, 2003: A federal indictment accuses Al-Arian of being a leader of the Islamic Jihad's operations in the United States. He and seven others are charged in a 50-count indictment that accuses them of running a criminal enterprise and conspiring in the United States to kill and maim others abroad.

- Feb. 26, 2003: USF fires Al-Arian; Genshaft says Al-Arian will longer "be able to hide under the shield of academic freedom."

Timeline of events in the investigation into Sami Al-Arian
AP | March 16th, 2003

The Tampa Tribune reported in an April 18, 1996, story that federal officials said in the affidavits they were investigating possible perjury and immigration law violations and portrayed Al-Arian as who helped Palestinian militants enter the United States.
Among those Al-Arian is accused of aiding is current Palestinian Islamic Jihad head Ramadan Shallah, who worked as a USF instructor in 1995. Shallah, who is now in Syria, was named the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad immediately after he left the university. The government says Palestinian Islamic Jihad is responsible for more than 100 murders in Israel and its territories.
Judge: Al-Arian search warrant documents accidentally destroyed
AP | December 9th, 2003

For George W. Bush, it was just another campaign stop. But for Sami Al-Arian, a University of South Florida engineering professor, it was a golden opportunity. When Bush appeared at Tampa’s Strawberry Festival in March 2000, Al-Arian sidled up to the candidate and had his picture taken.

< -snip- >
Al-Arian’s politics took on a decidedly darker cast last week when federal agents arrested him at his home in south Florida and charged him with being a top leader of one of the world’s most violent terrorist organizations: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
< -snip- >
Al-Arian certainly didn’t act like a sponsor of suicide bombings. Far from keeping to the shadows, he repeatedly lobbied Congress on civil-liberties issues, made thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to influential members of Congress and renounced violence during appearances on TV talk shows. In June 2001 Al-Arian was invited to a White House briefing for 150 Muslim American activists, at which political director Karl Rove talked about the Bush administration’s "outreach" efforts. A law-enforcement official told NEWSWEEK the Secret Service had flagged Al-Arian as a potential terrorist prior to the event. But White House aides, apparently reluctant to create an incident, let him through anyway. Such access had its advantages."He always told me the charges were garbage," said Khaled Saffuri, chairman of the Islamic Institute. "When you hear he’s going to the White House, you figure what he’s saying must be true." In fact, federal prosecutors charged last week, Al-Arian carried out his secret terrorist agenda "under the guise of promoting and protecting Arab rights"—making his public profile a critical part of his MO. "It was the perfect cover," said Steven Emerson, a terrorism analyst who has followed Al-Arian for years.
Hiding in Plain Sight (Al Arian at the White House)
Newsweek ^ | March 3rd, 2003 | Michael Isikoff

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Documents: FBI monitored growth of Tampa terrorist cell for decade

Timeline of events in the investigation into Sami Al-Arian