[JURIST] Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys of the Northern District of Illinois found two US-based Islamic charities liable for damages Wednesday in the 1996 shooting death in Israel of an American teenager, David Boim. Keys held Texas-based Holy Land Foundation and the Islamic Association for Palestine liable for knowingly aiding Hamas, not requiring a showing that money sent by the defendants directly paid for the shooting, only that the defendants realized they aided Hamas and understood Hamas was involved in violence. Another man, Chicagoan Mohammed Salah, was also held liable for an alleged Hamas fund-raising conspiracy. A jury trial is set for December 1st to determine the amount of damages in the $300 million lawsuit. The case marked the first time a case was brought against US-based institutions for allegedly supporting terrorism. AP has more. For background on the Holy Land Foundation and its connections to Hamas, click here.
7:55 PM ET – The ruling is now online from FindLaw here [PDF].