Biography
Sami Amin Al-Arian, 61, US permanent resident and former University of South Florida professor, was indicted February 19, 2003 in Tampa on 17 racketeering / material support / money laundering / immigration counts. Pleaded guilty; 57 months federal prison + 36 months supervised release + deportation. Sami Al-Arian was a Palestenian university professor and Muslim advocate who came under investigation and was eventually indicted for controversial terrorism charges, imprisoned and eventually deported to Turkey. He was an anti-Zionist and even supported Palestine's violent revolts against Israel in the 1980s. In 2003, in the midst of the post-9/11 hysteria, Al-Arian among others was charged with racketeering for an islamic paramilitary organization designated as a specialty terrorist organization by the US.
Most of the prosecution's evidence consisted of secret FBI wiretapped recordings of Al-Arian over the last decade. In the end, he agreed to a plea deal pleading guilty to one charge of conspiracy with the attorney general dropping all other charges. He was then sentenced to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, then finally deportation.
He spent most of his time in solitary confinement. Amnesty International called for an investigation based on the inhumane treatment he was getting.
Actual release and subsequent restrictions
Government habeas response: The government’s September 2, 2008 response in the Eastern District of Virginia habeas case (No. 1:08cv871), pages 1–3, expressly states that immigration officials executed Al-Arian’s release from civil immigration detention on September 2. This confirms the physical release date already recorded, rather than merely an order for future release. Footnote 1 explains that ICE placed him on electronic monitoring and directed him to report to Pretrial Services under separate July bond orders in his pending criminal case. Those restrictions are distinguished from continued prison confinement. The response requests dismissal of the habeas petition as moot; it is not itself a court judgment terminating all proceedings or evidence of his later departure from the United States. Exhibits A and B are referenced but are not included in this five-page response.
