The fallout from the White House self-immolator could be immense. From AP, with thanks to Teri:
NEW YORK — The prosecution of a sheik accused of funneling millions of dollars to al-Qaida was roiled Tuesday by news that a man who set himself on fire in front of the White House was a key witness in the case.
Defense attorneys said Mohamed Alanssi is a confidential informant central to the prosecution of Sheik Ali Hassan al-Moayad, whom U.S. authorities consider their biggest catch to date in a campaign to cut off funding for terrorists.
Al-Moayad, a leading member of an Islamic-oriented political party in Yemen, was extradited from Germany last year and is awaiting trial in federal court in Brooklyn. He and his assistant allegedly conspired to provide material support to Osama bin Laden and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas.