U.S. Presses to Keep Sensitive Files Secret

Information in about 5,000 documents that detail the government’s case against a Muslim cleric accused of hiding terrorist ties is so sensitive that merely discussing the papers in public could be a threat to national security, prosecutors said Wednesday.

John Cline, a lawyer for Imam Fawaz Mohammed Damra, asked a U.S. District Court judge for the documents to be declassified so he could decide whether the information was useful to their case.

Cline said he would want to make sure the documents wouldn’t be used against Damra should he testify.

The argument highlights an issue facing courts during the war on terrorism: whether they can balance security concerns with allowing defendants in terrorism-related cases a fair trial.

There have been other recent cases dealing with the question, including that of alleged Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. The government is trying to block his lawyers from interviewing Al Qaeda prisoners in Afghanistan who they claim could help Moussaoui’s case. The government contends that anything the captives say could reveal classified information.

Federal prosecutor Cherie Krigsman told Judge James Gwin in Akron that the government could not even generally discuss some of the documents because that could reveal the source of the information. The papers include information regarding three alleged terrorist groups.

“We would need high-level approval from the Department of Justice to share it with the defense in any form,” Krigsman said.

Damra, 41, leader of the Islamic Center of Cleveland, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of obtaining U.S. citizenship by providing false information. He is accused of having ties to several terrorist groups, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and concealing those affiliations when he applied for citizenship.

Gwin said Wednesday that he would review the documents and decide which, if any, would be relevant to Damra’s defense. The judge said he hoped to settle the matter before a June 15 trial date.