| USA vs. Al-Arian | |
| Director: | Line Halvorsen |
| Producer: | Jan Dalchow |
| Starring: | Sami Al-Arian Nahla Al-Arian Abdullah Al-Arian Laila Al-Arian Leena Al-Arian Ali Al-Arian Lama Al-Arian Linda Moreno Paul I. Perez David Cole |
| Music: | Stein Berge Svendsen |
| Cinematography: | Tone Andersen |
| Editing: | Trond Winterkjaer Line Halvorsen |
| Runtime: | 102 minutes |
| Country: | Norway |
| Language: | English Arabic |
USA vs AL-ARIAN is 2007 documentary film about Sami Al-Arian and his family during and after his federal trial on terrorism-related charges. It was directed by the Norwegian director Line Halvorsen.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the film "glosses over the specific charges, and pays scant attention to the evidence."[1] However Variety notes that, "Though unquestionably biased, eye-opening docu "USA vs Al-Arian" throws the spotlight on a justice system shanghaied by the Patriot Act, leaving a deeply sympathetic family frayed but not quite broken."[2]
In the trial, the jury acquitted Al-Arian of nearly half the charges, and deadlocked on the remaining charges. After the trial, Al-Arian pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiracy to help a terrorist organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.