A US jury found two Palestinian men not guilty of racketeering conspiracy charges Thursday in a Hamas financing case once hailed by the US administration as a major victory in the "war on terror." The jury did however find both men guilty of less serious charges of obstruction of justice, for which they can still face lengthy prison terms.
The three-month trial, which evolved into a debate on the legitimacy of the Islamist movement Hamas and the alleged use of torture by Israeli security forces, was closely watched by Chicago's Palestinian and Jewish communities and civil rights activists.
Dozens of spectators, who had rushed to the courtroom on short notice, burst into cheers and applause when the not guilty verdict was returned against naturalized US citizen Muhammad Salah, a Chicago grocer, and former Washington-based university professor Abdelhaleem Ashqar.
Prosecutors had argued that both men were top officials in the militant wing of Hamas, which currently heads the Palestinian government but is still designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. Salah was accused of being a "bag man" who shuttled funds for guns and other terrorist activities, while Ashqar was accused of being the group's secretary and communications go-between. Both men had insisted throughout the trial that they were only involved in charitable activities and had been documenting the history of a legitimate political movement. |