Terror aid trial opens in Florida

Al-Arian says he is being targeted because of his political views

A Palestinian former university professor has gone on trial in Florida on charges of raising money for Palestinian suicide bombers.

Sami al-Arian, who denies involvement, is being tried in Tampa with three other men of Palestinian descent.

The four were arrested in 2003 on charges of providing funds for Islamic Jihad, which is on the US terror list.

Observers say this is one of the most high-profile terror prosecutions in the US since the 9/11 attacks.

The four defendants face life in prison if convicted of the charges.

The US says Islamic Jihad is responsible for the deaths of over 100 people in the Middle East, including American citizens.

Another five people have been charged in connection with the case, but are either at large or abroad.

'Free-speech attack'

Mr Arian was a computer science professor in south Florida until his arrest and says he has been implicated in the case because of his political opinions against the state of Israel and his campaign for Palestinian rights.

He says he has never advocated violence against others and denies any connection to terrorists.

A US resident, Mr Arian was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, and has lived in the US for 30 years.

He was one of the founders of a think-tank, the World Islam and Studies Enterprise, and a charity, the Islamic Committee for Palestine, formed in the late 1980s and 1990s to support an independent Palestinian state.

The indictment charges that he used the groups as fronts to funnel money to terrorists.

Mr Arian says the money was sent to help Palestinian children in refugee camps.

The prosecution has called a number of Israeli witnesses, including relatives of suicide attack victims, police officers and rescue workers.

The trial is expected to go on for several months.