[JURIST] A prosecutor in the trial of former University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian [advocacy website] said in his opening remarks Monday that Al-Arian was at one time the most powerful man in an organization responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The former computer science instructor and three other men are accused [JURIST report] of using an academic think tank as a front for fundraising and supporting the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad [backgrounder]. Al-Arian and the other defendants claim the trial is an attack against them based solely on their unpopular beliefs in support of Palestine. View a complete list of the charges and filings [official text] in the case. AP has more.