A former professor indicted on terrorism charges fired his attorneys Friday and will represent himself, despite a judge's warning that he was making a foolish and potentially disastrous move. Sami Al-Arian is still hoping to raise enough money to hire Washington attorney William Moffitt, but if he fails, he will have to go it alone when his case goes to trial in about 18 months.
| I suspect the money will appear from... somewhere. |
Al-Arian was indicted earlier this year. The U.S. government accuses him of being the North American head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He faces life in prison if convicted. U.S. District Judge Thomas McCoun repeatedly warned Al-Arian of the dangers of firing his court-appointed attorneys, but Al-Arian insisted he can handle his own defense. "He made his decision. I hope he has as much fun being a lawyer as I do," said attorney Frank Louderback, who was appointed to represent Al-Arian along with attorney Jeffrey Brown. "It's hard to describe what he has got himself into." |