Iowa professor claims FBI suspects him of al Qaeda ties

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Raw Story
Friday February 8, 2008

A professor at Northwest Iowa Community College claims that the FBI is investigating students and faculty there on suspicions that pirated music, movies, and software are being sold to help fund al Qaeda.

College President William Giddings acknowledges that law enforcement officers were asked to look into problems with excessive bandwidth use and possible illicit file-sharing, but he expressed bewilderment at allegations of an al Qaeda connection.

The al Qaeda story comes from computer science professor Steven Gifford, who says that he was visited by the FBI and "they told us the college had alleged that my students and I were running a piracy ring. We were downloading, cracking and re-selling software, movies and music and were doing this in support of al Qaeda terrorists."

"I was a little stunned," Gifford stated. "There would be no benefit to me to do anything to harm my country. ... I am a patriot."

Gifford, who has been on paid administrative leave since January 25 over budget issues, suggested that the real problem might be that he is about to become president of the faculty association and the administration doesn't like him. He accused college president William Giddings of wanting "to humiliate and intimidate me."

President Giddings was reluctant to make any comment about Gifford. He said he did not know who the target of the FBI investigation was but that it definitely did not involve terrorism.

This video is 9 News, KCAL, broadcast February 7, 2008.