TAMPA As soon as the U.S. government outlawed financial dealings with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sami Al-Arian and his brother-in-law drained more than $90,000 from several bank accounts, according to evidence presented in Al-Arian's trial Wednesday.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated the Palestinian Islamic Jihad an illegal terrorist organization on Jan. 24, 1995. The next day, the announcement was faxed to Al-Arian's think tank, World and Islam Studies Enterprise, according to the evidence.

On Jan. 24 and 25, 1995, Al-Arian and Mazen Al-Najjar made withdrawals from accounts held in their names, as well as accounts for WISE, the Islamic Concern Project and the Muslim Women's Society. All three entities are alleged by prosecutors to be fronts for the Islamic Jihad.

Much of the money was returned to the accounts the following Feb. 6 and Feb. 9, according to the testimony of FBI Agent Michael Wysocki, who has been on the witness stand since last week, testifying about scores of financial transactions.

It was not clear why the money was returned or why it was withdrawn to begin with.

On Feb. 6, 1995, Al-Arian had a conversation with Lou'ay Safi, research director at the International Institute for Islamic Thought in Herndon, Va., which provided WISE with much of its financial support. According to a transcript of the conversation introduced in the trial, Al-Arian mocked the presidential executive order that led to the treasury designation.

Al-Arian described the order as part of a "Zionist campaign" against Muslim organizations and called it "propaganda" and "nonsense."

The trial has entered a phase centering on detailed financial transactions, with Wysocki testifying about bank statements, canceled checks and flow charts to show the movement of thousands of dollars between Al-Arian and other alleged members of the Islamic Jihad.

Wysocki on Wednesday showed jurors wire transfers Al-Arian made on June 3, 1993, to relatives of people who were jailed in connection with a Feb. 14, 1992, Islamic Jihad attack on an Israeli military camp near the occupied West Bank.

The attackers killed three people with an ax, knives and a pitchfork and stole weapons from the dead and wounded, according to a stipulation agreed to by attorneys in the case.

According to the evidence presented Wednesday, Al-Arian made three $2,000 wire transfers to the accounts of relatives of the attackers.

WHAT HAPPENED

The prosecution presented evidence of financial transactions purporting to link Sami Al-Arian to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The evidence included several withdrawals made from accounts right after the United States made it illegal to do business with the terrorist organization.