Ex-USF professor Sami al-Arian deported to Turkey

[alp227]

Source: Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA — A former University of South Florida professor accused of aiding terrorists has been deported to Turkey, ending more than a decade of controversial litigation that first landed in the national spotlight amid growing tensions between civil liberties and national security.

The federal government's prosecution of Sami Al-Arian even turned into a political issue during the 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, with the two candidates trading barbs about which of them had closer ties to the professor.

Al-Arian, 57, and his wife, Nahla, boarded a commercial flight out of Washington on Wednesday night, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations, which did not elaborate. They arrived in Turkey on Thursday morning, said his former attorney, Jonathan Turley.

The long-planned deportation was finally made possible after federal prosecutors last June dropped a criminal contempt indictment against Al-Arian.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/sami-al-arian-leaves-us-and-goes-to-turkey/2216534

[notadmblnd]

1. He was W's pal wasn't he?

I'm certain there are pictures of him and bush together.

[madfloridian]

2. What was he ever convicted of? Other than pissing off Bill O'Reilly?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Al-Arian#O.27Reilly_controversy

http://web.usf.edu/uff/AlArian/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/04/13/494890/-Sami-Al-Arian-Catch-22-and-the-Tragedy-of-Post-9-11-America

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/2/6/exclusive_deported_palestinian_scholar_sami_al

[joelz]

3. he seems like he wanted to be deported

so he could live in freedom without being spied on 24/7 the charges were a sick joke. Here are his own words.

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/2/6/exclusive_deported_palestinian_scholar_sami_al?autostart=true