CHICAGO, March 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. court in Chicago trying a man released his statements in which he admitted to being a Hamas operative who funneled money to the militant group.
Muhammad Salah, 51, of Bridgeview, is charged with financing Hamas. Salah claims his 1993 statements were coerced under torture by Israeli guards, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. He says his visit to Israel, where he was captured, was for humanitarian reasons.
In the confessions, Salah reportedly said he became involved in "the Brotherhood" in 1978 through a Chicago area mosque and described various military training operations, including an elite group that developed expertise in explosives and weaponry.
The judge in Chicago ordered the release of the statements at the request of prosecutors at Salah's criminal trial, but the defense says they are unreliable.
The Chicago Tribune quoted prosecutors that Salah voluntarily confessed his role to Israeli agents. The report also said other released documents, however, appeared to support Salah's claim that he had complained of abuse soon after his arrest.
