FBI agents say they have cracked a terrorist cell in Tampa , Florida . Agents arrested Sami Al- Ari an, 45, a fo rm er engineering professor at the University of South Florida , and alleged that he assisted Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terror group accused of killing more than 100 people around the world, including two Americans, in suicide b om b ings from 1992 to 2002. Al- Ari an and seven others were named in a 120-page indictment and charged with 50 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, perjury, o b struction of justice and immigration fraud. If convicted, the defendants could face life in prison.

Also arrested were two men living in the Tampa area, and one in the Chicago area. Sameeh Hammoudeh and Hatim Naji Fariz both reside in Florida . Hammoudeh is an instructor and student at USF and an administrator at the Islamic Academy of Florida. Fariz is a manager for a medical clinic. Ghassan Zayad Ballut, a small business owner, resides in Tinley Park , IL . All are alleged members of PIJ.

The other four suspects named in the indictment are still at large and are b eing sought overseas: Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, 45; Bashir Musa Mohammed Nafi, 50; Mohammed Tasir Hassan Al-Khatib, 46; and Abd Al Aziz Awda, 52.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said it was a major victory in the war against terror and descri b ed Al- Ari an as the secretary of Islamic Jihad's worldwide governing group.

"The individuals named in this indictment play a su b stantial role in international terrorism," Ashcroft said. "They are 'material supporters' of foreign terrorist organizations. They f ina nce, extol and assist acts of terror."

“Our message is clear: We make no distinction between those who carry out terrorist attacks and those who knowingly finance, manage or supervise terrorist organizations. We will bring justice to the full network of terror,” Ashcroft said.

Prosecutors say the suspects created three front corporations and religious organizations to help raise money for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which was declared a "foreign terrorist organization" b y the U.S. in 1997. The indictment says the group raised millions of dollars for families of suicide b om b ers and helped the b om b ers write wills.

Much of the evidence was g lea ned from wiretaps, info rm ants and other top-secret info rm ation gathering methods. Al- Ari an has b een the su b ject of secret surveillance for several years, b y U.S. crim ina l investigators and b y intelligence agents. At the time, U.S. law prohi b ited the two agencies from sharing evidence. Ashcroft credited the new Pat riot Act for aiding the investigation b y allowing more communication b etween the FBI, the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

Eight years ago, in a FBI raid on Al- Ari an's home and the World Islam and Studies Enterprise offices, agents gathered secret evidence that sent his b rother, Mazen Al-Najjar, to jail for 3 1/2 years. The INS claimed Al-Najjar was a threat t o n ational security b ut never charged him with a crime. In 2000, an immigration judge ruled that Al-Najjar was not a security threat and said there was no evidence that either the World Islam and Studies Enterprise or the Islamic Committee for Palestine was a front for Islamic Jihad. In late 2001, Al-Najjar was again arrested and placed in detention, b ut this time the detention was not b ased on secret evidence b ut instead b ecause he had overstayed his student visa. Al-Najjar applied for asylum, claiming he would face persecution if he returned to the United Ara b Emirates . The Eleventh Circuit denied his application and Al-Najjar was deported in August.

In Septem b er 2001, Al- Ari an appeared on the Fox News talk show The O'Reilly Factor. O'Reilly asked Al- Ari an if the University of South Florida was a hot b ed for terrorists, a charge that was made in a 1994 documentary, Jihad in America . Later that year, USF President Judy Genshaft fired Al- Ari an, saying the school was una b le to guarantee his safety and citing his failure to tell O'Reilly's audience he didn't spe ak for the University.