Prosecution rests at US trial of accused Hamas men

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Federal prosecutors rested their case at the trial of two men charged with funneling cash and fresh recruits to Hamas terrorists trying to topple the Israeli government. US District Judge Amy J. St. Eve sent jurors who already have sat through two months of the complex racketeering trial home Tuesday and told them to return next week when defense attorneys are expected to call witnesses. But attorneys said closing arguments in the trial of former Chicago grocer Muhammad Salah, 53, and former university professor Abdelhaleem Ashqar, 48, may not come until after a holiday break. Salah was arrested in Israel in 1993 and $90,000 (€68,000) in cash was found in his hotel room. He served almost five years in prison there. Prosecutors say the money was destined to help Hamas rebuild its military structure.