Senior law enforcement officials have suspected for years that Sami Al-Arian, the Florida professor indicted this week on charges of supporting terrorism, posed a serious national security risk, but they were slow to take action against him because of legal, political and operational roadblocks, officials said today. The case languished for years, with investigators complaining that they were not getting the support they needed from top law enforcement officials in Washington. Beginning in the mid-1990’s, officials discussed the possibility of bringing criminal charges against Mr. Al-Arian or trying to deport him because of his suspected ties to terrorism, but they decided they lacked the legal ability to do either, former officials involved in those discussions disclosed. “We were obviously aware of Sami. He was considered a big fish, a very serious guy” in the terrorist world, said a former senior Justice Department official under Attorney General Janet Reno who was involved in discussions about Mr. Al-Arian. Full Story
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