Palestinian Jailed in Florida on Secret Evidence Freed

A Palestinian university professor jailed in Florida for more than three years on secret evidence alleging he is a terrorist was freed on Friday to an excited crowd of family and friends shouting in Arabic and waving American flags.

Mazen Al-Najjar was greeted by his wife, their three daughters, his sister and brother-in-law and friends as he walked out of an immigration detention center in this Florida west coast town after 1,307 days in custody and said he wanted to become an American citizen.

“It is a great day for justice. It feels like waking up from a nightmare,” Al-Najjar told reporters outside the center. “It is a rebirth.”

Al-Najjar, 43, had been held at the federal facility in Bradenton since May 1997, when his visa expired. He had been a teacher at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

No criminal charges have ever been filed against him, and he has denied the terrorism allegations.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno ordered his release earlier Friday.

Immigration and Naturalization Service lawyers have described Al-Najjar as a terrorist, saying he transferred funds to the Syrian-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He was arrested for alleged visa violations and could be deported.

He said the transfers involved money he was managing for his father and brother.

Immigration Judge Kevin McHugh recently ruled Al-Najjar could no longer be held without bail, which he set at $8,000.

Reno said the case will be argued before an appellate court Jan. 9.

Al-Najjar, who has lived in the United States for 19 years, said he hoped to return to the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he taught Arabic.