A military court on Sunday released Fawaz Damra, the former imam of Ohio's largest mosque, who was detained earlier this month on suspicion of fundraising for Islamic Jihad. The decision to release the suspect was made after the Shin Bet came to the conclusion that there were not sufficient grounds for an indictment.
Damra, originally from the West Bank city of Nablus, had his American citizenship revoked due to suspicions that he raised funds for the militant group 15 years ago. Following his release from Kishon prison, Damra traveled to visit relatives in Nablus.
Damra, the imam of the Cleveland mosque for several years, was detained in a joint operation between the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Israeli security forces. He was taken to Jordan on a "secret flight" and from there transferred to Israel.
Earlier this month, Damra admitted to raising money for the Palestinian cause, his lawyer said. He also told U.S. judicial authorities that his sermons had included harsh words against Israel and the Jews, whom he described as "pigs and monkeys." Nonetheless, Damra said he changed his worldviews after 1993, attended university and began working at organizations that promote interreligious dialogue.
Damra said his citizenship was revoked despite his change in opinion. Earlier this month, he boarded a special plane destined for Jordan at New Jersey's Newark Airport, along with six drug dealers. Following a short interrogation, Jordanian authorities transferred him to the Shin Bet and Israel Police via Allenby Bridge. After his losing contact with him, Damra's family contacted the Center for the Defense of the Individual in Israel to locate him.
Damra was suspected of raising funds through an organization known as the Islamic Committee for Palestine. The leader of the group, Dr. Sami al-Rian - a Palestinian-American lecturer at the University of Florida - has been acquitted on several suspicions of belonging to terror organizations.
He was arrested in the United States about a year ago on suspicion of raising funds for Islamic Jihad in 1991, but not enough evidence was found to prosecute him. To avoid an acquittal, the U.S. ruled to revoke Damra's citizenship in a legal proceeding, arguing that Damra had violated immigration laws by not handing over information on the organizations with which he was involved prior to receiving citizenship.
Damra's situation is unique, as he is a U.S. citizen who was arrested on U.S. territory. Most suspects transferred via secret flights have been arrested in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Egypt. 
|
