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Saudi Webmaster Innocent on Terrorism Charges

HeadlineJun 15, 2004

Ashcroft’s announcement also came just days after the Justice Department was a dealt a major defeat in Idaho where a jury found a Saudi graduate student innocent on a number of terrorism charges. The student, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, worked as a webmaster for several Islamic websites including some that advocated suicide bombings in Israel and Chechnya. His lawyer said his client does not hold those views and should not be held criminally liable for what others wrote. He was charged under the Patriot Act with providing '’expert guidance or assistance'’ to groups deemed terrorist. Washington civil liberties attorney David Cole said the provision of the Patriot Act is so vague that somebody who fixes a fax machine that is owned by a group that may advocate terrorism could be charged with a crime. In the year before Al-Hussayen was arrested the government closely tracked him by intercepting 29,000 emails and phone calls. Then he was arrested and thrown in solitary confinement. He remains detained on immigration charges.

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