PEORIA, Illinois – A man accused of being an Al Qaeda sleeper agent is scheduled to appear in court in central Illinois.
Ali al-Marri has a hearing later in the day before U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm in Peoria. He's charged with conspiracy and supporting terrorism.
Al-Marri was a legal U.S. resident when he was declared an "enemy combatant" by the Bush administration in late 2001.
He was held without charges for more than five years at a Navy brig in South Carolina.
The "enemy combatant" designation was dropped when a federal grand jury in Illinois indicted him on charges of conspiracy and providing material support to terror.
Those charges each carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Al-Marri was a graduate student at Bradley University in Peoria when he was arrested.
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