Tampa Tribune Series Exposed USF Ties To Terrorism (Sami al-Arian

Tampa Tribune ^ | 1995 | Tampa Tribune

[Catspaw]

Tribune Series Exposed USF Ties To Terrorism
TAMPA - In 1995, The Tampa Tribune published a series about "a nonprofit organization that helps raise money in the name of two groups that claim responsibility for bombings that have killed hundreds in Israel and around the world." The head of that organization? USF professor Sami Al-Arian. Read the 1995 series below.
Ties To Terrorists
Terror Law Cuts Rights, Arabs Say
Extremist Groups Agree On Goals
Terms Don't Separate Religion, Politics
Academic Freedom Or Poor Security
Mosque Bears Martyr's Name

[Catspaw]

Background on Sami al-Arian.

[Catspaw]

ping

[Howlin]

I was just reading this! Great post!

[Catspaw]

But I don't have a ping list of interested people. If you do, could you do the pingaroonie thing?

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Catspaw]

yeah, that's the ping list!

[not-alone]

Thanks for great post

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Like i've said before,"colleges turn out more criminals than the prisons do".

[Grampa Dave]

Some interesting reading here.

[Catspaw]

Contrast this series to the hit piece in Salon--the Salon piece appears to be ghost-written by CAIR.

This gives a good background to Sami al-Arian. I'm glad the Tampa Tribune put it on their webiste.

[Howlin]

I'll be glad to.

A great compilation ping.......Catspaw has some information on today's arrests!

[Catspaw]

I forgot to add the link to the indictment. Be forwarned that it's at least 120 pages long.

http://reports.tbo.com/reports/alarian/alarianindictment.pdf

[MeekOneGOP]

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I have a list , many of which will be interested! Here is a lengthy but important document which should be read by all!

Jihadis in the Hood
Race, Urban Islam and the War on Terror

JIHAD IN AMERICA:

To find all articles tagged or indexed using JIHAD IN AMERICA, click below:
	click here >>>	JIHAD IN AMERICA	<<< click here
(To view all FR Bump Lists, click here)

[aristeides]

Interesting paragraph from today's indictment:

16. The defendants and PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad] utilized the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, (hereinafter referred to as "USF") as an institution where some of their members could receive cover as teachers or students. Additionally, USF was utilized by PIJ as their instrumentality through which the co-conspirators could bring other PIJ members and associates into the United States under the guise of academic conferences and meetings.

[Grampa Dave]

Catspaw, you have just got a really big ping via Ernest.

[deport]

I saw someone on televison earlier talking about the details in the indictment and that he was learning a lot that he didn't know. The station, MSNBC I think, was featuring him as an expert in the ME terriorist groups.

He said he was to page 120 and was still reading....

[Catspaw]

Read into the indictment further. That's exactly what they did. It's good cover and enmeshing the PIJ's activities with "academic freedom."

[Freedom2specul8]

Thanks for the post-n-ping! Will pass this along too.

[Catspaw]

If he had reddish hair, it was Steve Emerson--and he's an expert on these things, especially al-Arian. I was stunned at some of the allegations in the indictment myself.

[Catspaw]

Ya know, Grampa Dave, I rarely post articles (I'm getting better) so I don't have a ping list, but boy, I'm glad I know people who do.

[aristeides]

I have read a few pages further into the indictment. How come the Iranians had authority over how PIJ's money was to be spent? Were they providing a lot of it?

[Bahbah]

Really good stuff. I can't figure out why Sami didn't hightail it along time ago.

[Inspectorette]

Howlin, thanks for the ping.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I have room to add more names to the Jihad List WE set up!

I don't know if these guys did any acts over here as of yet, but it is a world wide Jihad now!

The Factor (O'Reilly) will be talking about this indictment on his show on FoxNews Channel tonight!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This is a great post!

We need more people posting articles!

[Lady Jag]

Thanks for the ping. I was amazed to wake up and find out that that Florida prof of O'Reilly's was arrested this AM.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

I can't figure out why Sami didn't hightail it along time ago.

He was probably torn between the MAJOR university promotion that he would get based on this vs. the possible jail time. Those university liberals can be pretty convincing...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

How come the Iranians had authority over how PIJ's money was to be spent? Were they providing a lot of it?

Well, that is just real interesting!

[Catspaw]

I think Sami thought he could brazen it out. He thought he couldn't be touched and used the USF as a cloak of protection. He has/had one newspaper in town very sympathetic towards him, he had Reno drop the charges against his brother, he figured they weren't keeping track of him and he had the whole faculty (as well as the national union) behind him, plus CAIR & other Muslim groups supporting him. He thought he was untouchable.

[BushCountry]

Just seen the President of USF say on a tv news program in Florida, "I don't think that the indictment will change our policy about paid leave for the professor. We don't feel we have grounds to fire him."

She is lucky that she was on tv, if she was in arm's reach I might of strangle her!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Watching a replay of the Q&A of Ashcroft on C-SPAN.

Ashcroft did not answer question regarding how many other organizations like this exist here in the US!

On again at 8 pm EST tonight

[Catspaw]

Yup, the Iranians supplied a lot of the funding. You'll get into the part about money transfers and bank accounts anon. Sami's brother, for example, got a some substantial transfers into his account--and wait until you get to the part about $2 million missing and their fighting about accounting.

[Catspaw]

Don't strangle her. She may be bound by law to pay his salary until he's convicted. She doesn't want a Sami lawsuit on her hands.

[Palladin]

Thanks for the links, Catspaw. I am bookmarking, to read in depth later on.

[arasina]

My question is...what is UP with USF?? How could they have been so STUPID? The newspaper does an investigative series on al-Arian's connections to terrorism in 1995 and he gets to stay on staff? Makes me wonder if there aren't some bigger hands pulling the puppet's strings. What is the culpability of USF? They may as well be considered accessories to murder.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Federal agents lead Palestinian professor Sami Al-Arian through the federal building in Tampa, Florida, February 20, 2003 after he and three others were arrested in a case about the alleged financing of terrorism, in Tampa, Florida February 20, 2003. In Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrest of the four alleged members of Islamic Jihad, branded by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist group, for racketeering, conspiring to kill more than 100 people abroad and other charges. REUTERS/St. Petersburg Times Photo by Ken Helle

Behind Al-Arian's facade (founded the World and Islam Studies Enterprise at USF a decade ago)*** In 1995, after a suicide bombing operation carried out by Palestinian Islamic Jihad killed 21 Israeli soldiers, University of South Florida computer science professor Sami Al-Arian wrote a fund-raising letter in which he "call(s) upon you to try to extend true support to the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue." Many of Al-Arian's past statements and associations have raised suspicions that he was involved with terrorist organizations based in the Middle East. However, the fund-raising letter signed by al-Arian, shown during the Oct. 28 telecast of NBC's Dateline, is direct evidence of his active support for terrorism.

As usual, Al-Arian dismissed the story as old news and impugned the integrity of his critics. The videotapes and letters speak for themselves. When Al-Arian is seen and heard saying "let us damn America" and calling Jews "monkeys and pigs," no one needs to rely on his critics to interpret his remarks. And when he puts his signature on a letter soliciting funds for terrorist operations, his involvement isn't subject to misunderstanding.

Al-Arian claims he only "raised funds for the orphans" of suicide bombers. Please. It's no wonder he thinks he can get away with insulting people's intelligence. He has been playing his American hosts for fools for years, presenting a benign face to the general public while spewing the most hateful sort of venom in the company of fellow Islamic extremists. ***

[BushCountry]

The history of her not firing him goes way back. He has been on paid leave for months and months (he was a danger to the campus so they would not let him spew his hatred of America). They went to court to ask a judge to see if they had grounds to fire him. The judge said, "Don't get me involved."

She has been a coward! She should have fired him, it was the right thing to do and taken her chances in court. People get fired all the time for much less then paying for the deaths of hundreds of people!

Even now she refuses to fire him!!!

[Grampa Dave]

The fact that he shilled for the money here, was their auditor and their head American liar, makes it Jihad in America.

[aristeides]

There's further evidence later in the indictment that Iran had been supporting PIJ financially.

[mewzilla]

Anyone catch John Gibson on FOX with Judge Napolitano talking about the indictment? Gibson said that he talked to an FBI agent today who told Gibson that they could have had the goods on Al-Arian long ago, but some Muslim FBI agents refused to wear a wire when they talked to Al-Arian.

[geopyg]

The three middle-eastern guy's that were overheard in the restaurant in Georgia were going to South Miami for medical training. I wonder if USF (Tampa) has a satellite school there?

[Bahbah]

"...he figured they weren't keeping track of him...."

He certainly was not listening to Bill O'Reilly. LOL. I think you are right, though. He did believe those interest groups were adequate to protect him. I'm glad.

[Grampa Dave]

With most of this terrorism and the fund raising, the Iranians have their fingerprints all over these acts.

I can't think of the former CIA agent who was on The History Channel re terrorism in the middle east. He said that Iran is somehow behind all of it.

[aristeides]

Tampa Tribune series seems to have upset the PIJ guys mightily. These paragraphs from p. 57 of the indictment:

On or about April 17, 1995, RAMADAN ABDULLAH SHYALLAH had a telephone conversation with an unidentified male in Syria, in which RAMADAN ABDULLAH SHALLAH indicated he was very concerned that the local newspaper would soon be printing articles about their connection to the PIJ.

On or about April 17, 1995, SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN had a telephone conversation with Jamil, in which they discussed SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN's concern that a Tampa Tribune correspondent inquired about his ties to terrorism. Jamil told SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN that they had previously decided that SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN should say nothing and asked SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN why he spoke to the reporter.

[BushCountry]

Not only did he have support of those interest groups, but he was getting a full salary from USF with his only job as chief fund raiser for terrorists! So, basically our tax dollars (Federal School) funded his recent activities.

[prognostigaator]

Indictment bump

[Carolinamom]

Thanks for the ping. With all the breaking news now and more to come, I'm speed reading!

[aristeides]

And this from pp. 61-62:

(171) On or about May 30, 1995, SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN WHO WAS IN Tampa, Florida, had a telephone conversation with BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI who was outside the State of Florida, in which they discussed SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN's admiration for another terrorist leader. They also discussed how to appropriately respond to the ongoing press investigation of SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN at the University of South Florida and BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI's insistence that it would be handled properly.

(172) On or about June 1, 1995, RAMADAN ABDULLAH SHALLAH who was in Tampa, Florida, had a telephone conversation with Fathi Shiqaqi, who was outside the State of Florida, in which they discussed a Lebanese magazine article which incorrectly stated that the PIJ was going to split. Fathi Shiqaqi also expressed the belief that SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN should move to another location in the United States because of bad publicity. They also stated that BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI was disturbed by the articles in the Tampa Tribune because BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI's name had been mentioned. On the same day, RAMADAN ABDULLAH, who was in the Middle District of Florida, had a telephone conversation with BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI, who was outside the State of Florida, in which they discussed articles about a split in the PIJ and their anger that the reporter had mentioned members of the PIJ Shura Council and other PIJ members by name. BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI said he would take care of the matter.

(173) On or about June 2, 1995, RAMADAN ABDULLAH SHALLAH sent a facsimile from WISE/ICP offices in Tampa, Florida, to Fathi Shiqaqi at a facsimile number outside the State of Florida, which described an article concerning the split in PIJ. The facsimile also relayed a conversation that RAMADAN ABDULLAH SHALLAH and BASHIR MUSA MOHAMMED NAFI had the evening before, and stated that SAMI AMIN AL-ARIAN had recently sent a threatening message to MUHAMMED TASIR HASSAN AL-KHATIB to stop talking to the press.

[Fred Mertz]

On or about April 17, 1995, RAMADAN ABDULLAH SHYALLAH had a telephone conversation with an unidentified male in Syria...

This is two days before the OKC bombing, FWIW.