Both Sides Claim Victory In Terror Trial

Two men accused of furnishing money and fresh recruits to the militant Palestinian group Hamas were acquitted by a federal jury Thursday of racketeering but convicted on lesser charges.

Defense attorneys immediately declared victory in the three-month trial that the government had described as a major component in its war on terrorism.

"This is a great day for justice," said defense attorney Michael E. Deutsch, who represented former grocer Muhammad Salah.

Salah, 53, and Abdelhaleem Ashqar, 48, a one-time assistant business professor at Howard University in Washington, had been accused of laundering money for Hamas terrorists fighting to topple the Israeli government.

Defense attorneys portrayed the men as freedom fighters, comparing them to Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The pair, along with Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, were charged with racketeering conspiracy for allegedly joining with 20 others since at least 1988 to conduct business for Hamas, which the government said included conspiracies to commit murder, kidnapping, passport fraud and other crimes.

Salah was accused of recruiting and training new members of Hamas in the United States. After his release from prison in Israel in 1997, authorities said he directed an associate in Chicago to scout potential targets for terrorist attacks in Israel.

Ashqar was accused of opening bank accounts in Mississippi for Hamas purposes.

Salah was convicted of obstruction of justice for giving false answers to questions he was asked in a civil lawsuit. Ashqar was convicted of criminal contempt and obstruction of justice for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury when he had been given immunity for anything he might say.

The jury delivered the verdict amid heavy security in the courtroom after deliberating for 14 days.

"We've convicted them — it's hard to say that we're disappointed," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro said.