Muslim cleric ordered to answer questions

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has ordered a Detroit-area Muslim cleric to answer questions about his finances as the government seeks to collect nearly $250,000 in restitution in a fraud case.

Ahmad Jebril read the Quran while an attorney represented him in federal court Tuesday. The U.S. Attorney’s Office asked a judge to intervene after Jebril invoked his right to remain silent more than 200 times during a deposition last August.

U.S. District Chief Judge Gerald Rosen encouraged the government to consider immunity for Jebril. The judge suggests he’ll hold Jebril in contempt of court if he gets immunity but still cites the Fifth Amendment.

Jebril has been out of prison since 2012. Years earlier, the government said Jebril ran a radical, anti-American website that encouraged followers to kill non-Muslims.