MOSCOW, Idaho, 1 March 2003 — The wife of a Saudi student at the University of Idaho accused of funneling money to supporters of terrorism said he is innocent and a Muslim student group called the case a misunderstanding.
Maha Al-Hussayen, in a statement issued by her lawyer on Thursday, denied any wrongdoing by her husband, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, arrested before dawn on Wednesday by federal agents.
Maha was “detained” for five hours of interrogation without an attorney by FBI agents who also confiscated her bank checkbook, according to the statement.
Sami was charged with visa fraud for failing to disclose his aid to a charitable organization that a grand jury said promotes terrorism. The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, charged Sami with fraudulently obtaining student visas by not disclosing his extracurricular activities.
Some of that money — more than $300,000 — went to the Michigan-based Islamic Assembly of North America, a charitable group that allegedly promotes terrorism reminiscent of the Sept. 11 US hijack attacks.
Sami also allegedly helped construct or manage 14 websites, including one Islamic Assembly of North America site allegedly describing suicide attacks such as “bombing or bringing down an airplane on an important location.”
The University of Idaho’s Muslim Student Association, of which Sami previously served as president, also proclaimed his innocence. “We can assure the community of our brother Sami’s innocence. If anything, this man has always been a man of charity and peace,” said Marwan Mossaad, the current president of the student group. If convicted, Sami faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison for each of the visa fraud counts and five years for each false statement count under an 11-count indictment.
Sami arrived at the University of Idaho in 1999 to study for a doctorate in computer science, with an emphasis on security and intrusion. He came to the United States in 1994, earning a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University in Indiana and also attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, officials said. Students are often allowed to stay in the United States indefinitely to complete their studies, while tourist visas typically come with expiration dates.
