Ex-Professor Accused in Terrorism Case to Be Deported
WASHINGTON
Federal authorities have decided to deport a former computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida and longtime Palestinian rights activist after failing to convict him on charges he helped finance terrorist attacks in Israel.
Sami Al-Arian, who had met with U.S. presidents and other political leaders before his terrorism indictment in 2003, reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge and be deported, two lawyers familiar with the case said Friday. The arrangement requires the approval of a judge.
It was not clear where Al-Arian would be sent.
Al-Arian has remained in jail since a jury in Tampa, Fla., acquitted him in December of eight of the 17 federal charges against him and deadlocked on the rest. Stung by the defeat in the high-profile case, prosecutors pondered whether to retry him on the remaining charges, including three conspiracy counts, or deport him.
U.S. Justice Department and immigration officials declined to comment on the agreement, as did Linda Moreno, a lawyer who represented Al-Arian during his trial. Moreno and William Moffitt withdrew as Al-Arian’s lawyers in March and it was not clear who currently represents him.
The lawyers spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been made public by the court.
