WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The head of Islamic Jihad in North America goes on trial on charges of terrorism and racketeering in the first prosecution of a Palestinian insurgency leader in the United States.

Sami Al Arian was scheduled to be brought for the opening of his trial on Monday at a federal court in Tampa, Fla. Al Arian, a former computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida, was alleged to have been the leading financier of the Iranian-sponsored Jihad and helped plan operations with the organization's leadership in Damascus.

Al Arian goes on trial with three co-defendants from Islamic Jihad, designated a terrorist group by the State Department in 1995. Officials said the trial capped a 10-year investigation aided by the government's expanded powers under the USA Patriot Act.

On Monday, U.S. officials said the Bush administration was considering launching a dialogue with the Palestinian movement Hamas. Officials said the administration was seeking to talk to Hamas leaders deemed as not directly involved in attacks against Israeli civilians.