Terror Trial To Begin For Florida Doctor

The government has said he was one in a loose-knit group of people who agreed to assist organizations designated by the United States as terrorist outfits.

But a doctor was to face trial alone on charges that he broke the law by agreeing to treat the wounds of al-Qaida members.

A jazz musician, a cab driver and a bookstore owner have already pleaded guilty in the case.

Oral questioning of jurors was scheduled to begin Tuesday, with opening statements unlikely to occur before Wednesday, in the case against Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir (pictured above).

At a hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska rejected defense arguments that the government can try to convince a jury that Sabir provided material support to a terrorist organization only if it proves he knew al-Qaida was engaged in terrorist plots.

She said it was up to a jury to decide whether it was reasonable for Sabir to have known about al-Qaida’s purposes between 2000 and 2002 from evidence such as news reports.

Sabir, who was educated in the Ivy League, was arrested in May 2005 in a gated community in Boca Raton, Fla., where he lived with his wife and two children.

He was accused of pledging to help al-Qaida during recorded conversations with a confidential source and an FBI agent posing as an al-Qaida recruiter. He has pleaded not guilty.

The government said Sabir indicated during one 2005 meeting in a Bronx apartment that he would travel shortly to Saudi Arabia to treat the wounds of fighters at a Saudi military base. Travel records showed he was scheduled to leave just days after his arrest.

The arrest occurred in a sting operation that also snared New York jazz musician and martial arts expert Tarik Shah, one of Sabir’s friends.