Former student Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was indicted Feb. 27 on charges that he conspired to help al-Qaida for five months in 2001 while he was studying at Bradley to get his masters degree in computer science.
The charges allege that from July 2001 to December 2001, al-Marri plotted with the terrorist group to lead a second major attack against the United States.
“The indictment alleges that Ali al-Marri provided material support to al-Qaida, which has committed horrific terrorist acts against our nation,” said central Illinois district U.S. Attorney Rodger Heaton in a statement. “As a result, he will now face the U.S. criminal justice system, where his guilt or innocence will be determined by a jury in open court.”
At the time of his arrest, al-Marri had files on his computer relating to the use of poisons and chemical weapons, as well as photos and videos of Osama bin Laden, according to the Journal Star.
However, through his lawyers, al-Marri has repeatedly denied those claims.
After being arrested in December 2001, federal officials charged him with credit card fraud, claiming he was in possession of more than 1,000 credit card numbers.
In 2003, the case was transferred from New York to Peoria, but was dropped all together in June of that year after President George W. Bush declared al-Marri an enemy combatant.
Since the declaration, al-Marri has been detained in solitary confinement at a naval brig in South Carolina.
At this time it is unknown whether al-Marri will stand trial in Peoria or Charleston, S.C.
In a different matter, al-Marri’s attorneys filed an 18-page brief with the Supreme Court on Tuesday to object to the president’s right to name anyone an enemy combatant.
Government attorneys have argued al-Marri has no reason to object to the law, but his lawyers have said President Barack Obama could still legally declare al-Marri an enemy combatant.
The court could decide as early as today whether or not it will hear the case. If the justices decide to let al-Marri’s suit proceed, oral arguments would be on April 27, and a decision would likely be reached sometime this summer.
