Ohio native accused of sending al Qaida money wants release
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A federal judge has heard arguments about whether an Ohio native should stay behind bars pending trial on allegations that he and three others sent money to a prominent al-Qaida leader.
Attorneys for suspect Asif Ahmed Salim, a former Ohio State University student, are asking that he be put on home detention and stay with family in Duluth, Georgia, near Atlanta.
Prosecutors on Thursday asked a judge in Toledo to deny the request. They say Salim spent the last four years living outside the United States and is a flight risk.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The judge didn't immediately rule on the matter.
Salim's attorneys have denied his involvement in what prosecutors say was an effort to raise money for an al-Qaida leader linked to the planning of several attacks against American interests.