Intel programmer Maher (Mike) Hawash: not free

According to a court order released on Monday afternoon, Maher (Mike) Hawash — the Intel coder detained as a witness by federal authorities in an apparent terrorism probe — will remain in jail until at least the end of this month.

For the last couple of weeks, Hawash has been held at a federal prison in Sheridan, about 50 miles south of Portland. Hawash, a 38-year-old American citizen of Arab descent, was arrested by the FBI's Terrorist Task Force on the morning of March 20 as he appeared for work at Intel. Hawash will continue to be detained as a "material witness" pending a grand jury investigation, the nature of which remains a secret, according to an order issued by federal Judge Robert Jones. The order compels authorities to present Hawash to a grand jury before April 25, or get a deposition from him. The order was issued following a secret detention hearing at a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, on Monday morning. Another secret detention hearing will be held on April 29, the order said. The judge's order is the first confirmation from authorities that Hawash is in custody as a material witness.

Link to WIRED News story, Link to copy of judge's order, photos from Monday's rally in support of Hawash's release.
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