Opening arguments begin today in the long-awaited terrorism trial of fired University of South Florida computer science professor Sami Al-Arian and three co-defendants. We’ll be learning a lot about the feds’ decade-long surveillance of the alleged Jihadi supporters, through wiretaps and other evidence-gathering that began under the Clinton administration, but was inaccessible to prosecutors until passage of the Patriot Act.

International coverage of the trial here and here. Good overview from the Tampa Tribune: Indictment details paper trail.

In related news, Bill West at the invaluable Counterterrorism Blog fills us in on immigration-related fraud by one of Al-Arian’s codefendants. West notes:

It is interesting how immigration fraud seems to swirl around these matters. It was INS pursuing immigration fraud that launched the criminal investigation against Al-Arian and the other original Tampa PIJ suspects in late 1994 after the airing of the PBS documentary Jihad in America by Steve Emerson. This demonstrates, yet again, the intimate connection between international terror and violations of US immigration and nationality law. That is something some of us have been desperately trying to make known for a very long time. Unfortunately, until the tragic events of September 11, 2001, not many, especially not many in a position to actually do something about it, wanted to listen.

Yup.

Oh, and if you wonder why some Republicans are tight-lipped about this case, I highly recommend you get a copy of Paul Sperry’s hard-hitting, new investigative book, Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington, especially chapters 27, 28, and 29 on undue Islamist influence at the White House and Department of Homeland Security. See also Sperry’s website, Sperry Files.

I touched on some of the GOP’s troubling terror ties here; related blogging here , here, here, here, here, and here.

And get this: Jeb Bush sends letter of support to CAIR.

Update: The Counterterrorism Blog reports that Al-Arian’s defense attorneys are seeking to block testimony from TCB contributing expert Matthew Levitt.

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