Prosecutor Begins Closing Arguments in Sami Al-Arian Trial

By Andrew Cochran

Brian Hecht of The Investigative Project on Terrorism has been in Tampa, FL, to cover the trial of former University of South Florida Professor Sami al-Arian and has written the following summary of the beginning of the prosecutor's closing argument yesterday:

Former University of South Florida Professor Sami al-Arian was the North American leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an �organized crime gang run from Syria and the Gaza Strip,� prosecutor Cherie Krigsman told the jury in her closing argument on Monday, marking the near end of a trial which has gone on for more than six months. Krigsman painstakingly detailed al-Arian�s web of deception, constructed so that the PIJ leadership could �hide in plain sight� in the U.S. while furthering the goals of the violent terrorist group. She said that, �Al-Arian was a professor by day and a terrorist at night,� explaining how al-Arian lied to his employers, to the media, to his own Muslim community and, most importantly, to the federal government, about his position in PIJ. Krigsman used al-Arian�s own words against him, contrasting videos of al-Arian speaking in front of a friendly crowd extolling the virtues of martyrdom and jihad while calling Jews �monkeys and pigs� with an interview in which he proclaims to have no connections to PIJ and does not promote hatred or violence.

The second video, excerpted from a longer interview conducted in the summer of 1994 by Steven Emerson (and originally entered into evidence as Exhibit 191A), demonstrated the relative ease with which al-Arian could lie. Krigsman credited Emerson�s interview, shot as part of his PBS documentary �Jihad in America,� with �publicly expos[ing] al-Arian�s treachery.� Krigsman said that al-Arian �learned the price of fame,� after agreeing to participate �in a provocative interview� with Emerson. Incidentally, on June 6th, during the opening statements of the trial, lead prosecutor Terry Furr called �Jihad in America� the �triggering event� that led to the investigation into al-Arian�s dealings.

Krigsman is expected to finish up Tuesday morning, at which point the defendants will begin their closing arguments. Terry Zitek is expected to give the government�s rebuttal on Wednesday or Thursday and the jury could begin deliberations as early the end of the week. You can see a full accounting of Krigsman�s closing argument here

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