A suspended University of South Florida professor detained on charges of leading a terrorist organization was back in court on Tuesday, but not for very long.

Sami Al-Arian, 45, appeared in federal court early Tuesday morning, but the judge issued a continuance so both sides could finish going through all the paperwork in the case.

The detention hearing will be held at 9 AM on March 24. Al-Arian will remain in custody until the hearing.

Last Thursday federal investigators arrested the controversial computer science teacher on a 50-count indictment. The government has accused Al-Arian of setting up a terrorist cell at USF.

United States vs. Sami Al-Arian

Click here to read the indictment.

They call him the U.S. leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The PIJ was founded in the late 1970s, and its roots can be traced back to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The group?s goals, according to Al-Arian?s indictment, is to destroy Israel and end Western influence in the Middle East.

The group has been linked to large number of suicide bombings, car bombings and drive-by shootings. Al-Arian has lived in the United States since 1975 and has been working at USF since 1986.

He was placed on forced leave and banned from the school?s campus shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and his appearance on Bill O?Reilly?s talk show on the Fox News Channel.

The suspended USF professor has made several campaign contributtions.

A former federal prosecutor tells Bay News 9 that the judge will consider whether Al-Arian is a flight risk or a danger to society before granting his request for bail.

There is expected to be plenty of drama outside the federal courthouse in Tampa as well. A coalition of student groups from USF has stated that they will hold a rally in support of Al-Arian.

According to the recently released information Al-Arian?s power and monetary donations extend to Washington. He visited the White House and had his picture taken with President Bush just months before the terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The Federal Election Commission says Al-Arian donated nearly $8,000 dollars to members of congress over the past few years. The recipients of his donations include:

• Representative Jim Davis of Tampa.
• Former representative David Bonior of Michigan.
• Former representative Cynthia McKinney of Georgia.
• Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois.
• And former representative Tom Campbell of California.

Davis says he plans to donate the money he received from Al-Arian to charity.

Al-Arian made the contributions between 1998 and 2000.