Ali Al-Marri Indicted for Providing Material Support to Al-Qaeda

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in the Central District of Illinois has returned a two-count indictment charging Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, 43, with providing material support to al-Qaeda and conspiring with others to provide material support to al-Qaeda, Attorney General Eric Holder announced today. The indictment was returned yesterday and unsealed this morning. If convicted, al-Marri, a dual national of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment for each count of the indictment. “This indictment shows our resolve to protect the American people and prosecute alleged terrorists to the full extent of the law,” said Attorney General Holder. “In this administration, we will hold accountable anyone who attempts to do harm to Americans, and we will do so in a manner consistent with our values.” On Jan. 22, 2009, the President ordered the Attorney General to lead an interagency review of al-Marri’s case. Specifically, the President instructed the Attorney General, the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, as well as the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a review of the factual and legal basis for al-Marri’s continued detention, and to identify and thoroughly evaluate alternative dispositions for al-Marri. After the indictment against al-Marri was returned, the President directed the Secretary of Defense to transfer, upon the request of the Attorney General, al-Marri from the custody of the Defense Department at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, S.C., to the custody of the Justice Department for purposes of crimi”