Al-Arian, a professor at the University of South Florida (USF), and his co-defendants are outspoken defenders of the Palestinian national liberation struggle. The four were arrested on a 50-count federal indictment. Many of the 50 are "conspiracy" charges announced at a high-profile press conference by U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft a month earlier.

Chants included, "Free Al-Arian," "Long live Palestine," and "Zionism must go." The majority of the signs demanded freedom for Al-Arian while others said: "Palestinians Have the Right to Resist" or "Stop the Attacks on Arab People." The court room could only accommodate a limited number of reporters preselected from a pool. Even some close members of the defendants’ families were unable to enter.

Five counter-demonstrators chanted "USA" and carried American flags and signs against Al-Arian getting bail. They also held pro-war posters. One protester in particular got right in the pickets’ face with provocative taunts like, "Israel yes, Palestine no," while a dozen cops looked on. Some of the young Arab-American protesters would occasionally confront this rightist with the truth. No one appeared intimidated by the handful of right-wingers.

John Sabin, a worker who came from Clearwater with his family to join the picket, said that it’s time to "speak now or forever hold your peace" over what he described as the declining state of civil rights in this country. In regards to Al-Arian’s indictment, Sabin noted with sarcasm, "He’s guilty of supporting Palestine."

"I don’t think [Al-Arian] should be in jail, because he is innocent," said USF student Layelle Saab. "He’s not a threat, not a flight risk, and should be given bail." Referring to the war on Iraq, Saab said, "My parents have always taught me to speak out but with the war now I feel this is not a free country, our civil liberties are going down, and Congress is doing nothing."

Mustafa Odeh, a student at the Islamic Academy of Florida, stated, "The reason Sami was arrested was that he is very political. The government is afraid people will listen to him. He always speaks of peace."

According to a pool reporter allowed into the hearing, three federal prosecutors took the better part of two hours going through the indictment to make the case that the four defendants were a threat to the community and a flight risk and therefore should not be given bail. Walter Furr, the lead prosecutor, maintained the characterization of Al-Arian in the charges as a secret top leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is on a list of organizations Washington has deemed "terrorist." "For a time," Furr stated, Al-Arian "was as powerful as any member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on the planet." Furr made unsubstantiated statements that Al-Arian helped finance suicide bombings and gloated when people were killed.

According to an article in the March 21 Tampa Tribune, defense lawyers countered that the evidence in the indictment didn’t prove their clients committed any crimes.

The prosecutor’s opening arguments were followed by the character witness phase of the bail hearing, starting with those called in on behalf of Sameeh Hammoudeh. All, except Ballut, finished their hearings by the end of the day.

The Tribune said that defense lawyers told the court that community members are willing to put up millions of dollars in property equity to secure their client’s release, including the facilities of the Islamic Academy of Florida.  
 
 
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