A jury Tuesday began hearing evidence in a terrorist financing trial involving what was once the nationÂ’s largest Muslim charity in a case that will test the US governmentÂ’s newest tool in the war on terror.
The prosecutor opened TuesdayÂ’s session by reading the 40-page indictment, which is an outline of alleged crimes.
Prosecutors contend the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Developmentformerly known as the Occupied Land Foundation | sent at least $12 million to committees in Palestine controlled by Hamas out of funds it had collected at mosques and radical fundraisers throughout the United States. The raid on HLF HQ was the one ruined by Judy Miller when she called them for comment the day *before* the raid; a lot of documents and a couple big fish went away. | The US government designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1995, making it illegal to support the group, even in the form of humanitarian aid. |