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Trial To Start Tuesday
UPDATED: 1:52 pm EDT June 14,
2004
AKRON, Ohio -- An Islamic cleric charged with lying about alleged terrorist ties to gain U.S. citizenship is set to go on trial Tuesday.
A final pretrial hearing was scheduled Monday in the case of Imam Fawaz Mohammed Damra, the leader of the Islamic Center of Cleveland, NewsChannel5 reported. A federal judge in Akron today ruled on a series of motions in the case. Judge James Gwin told prosecutors to make sure their witnesses avoid inflammatory comments such as "dangerous global jihad" or religious war. The judge also barred any evidence dating after 1994, when Damra got his U.S. citizenship. Damra could get five years in prison and face deportation if convicted. He's charged with lying about alleged ties to terrorist groups when he applied for U.S. citizenship.
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Imam Damrah Interview Previous Stories:
- May 13, 2004: Investigators Look Into Finances Of Local Muslim Cleric
- March 7, 2004: Mosque Assembly Vote To Keep Imam
- February 25, 2003: Local Imam Accused Of Having Ties To Terrorists
- June 3, 2002: Man Found Not Guilty For Attacking Imam
- December 9, 2001: Christian Protesters Criticize Imam, Islamic Faith
- December 5, 2001: Controversial Imam To Keep Job For 2 More Years
- November 20, 2001: Imam Opens Up To NewsChannel5's Ted Henry
- October 4, 2001: Jewish Community Meets To Talk About Imam's Comment
Copyright 2005 by NewsNet5. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
