Al-Arian faces criminal contempt trial

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Virginia ruled Friday that a former Florida professor convicted of conspiring to help terrorists should stand trial for criminal contempt.

Sami Al-Arian is accused of criminal contempt for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury that is investigating a think tank in Northern Virginia, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported.

For his part, the former University of South Florida professor argued the contempt case should be dismissed because it amounts to selective prosecution.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said a jury should decide whether a crime was committed.

Al-Arian's trial begins March 9. He remains free on bail until then.

In his terrorism case, Al-Arian accepted a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of helping associates of the terrorist group with non-violent activities. He was sentenced to 57-months in prison, most of which he had already served.

The plea agreement omitted the standard cooperation clause, and Al-Arian and his attorneys believed that this omission meant Al-Arian would not have to testify before a grand jury anywhere.

His attorneys said they also believed Al-Arian, a Kuwaiti-born Palestinian, would be deported when his sentence was completed in 2007.