Mohamed Alanssi, the man who set himself on fire in front of the White House Monday afternoon, was actually a key government witness in a case against a Yemeni cleric who is accused of funneling over $20 million to al-Qaida and other terrorist newtorks.

The cleric, Mohammed Ali Hassan Al-Moayad, and his assistant, Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, are facing charges of raising money for al-Qaida and Hamas. They are currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City.

According to published reports, Alanssi, a native of Yemen, had been promised 'a million dollars' and residency in the United States in exchange for his help. So far, he had been paid only $100,000 by the FBI and he had not been granted resident status in this country.

Alanssi had complained in recent weeks of his treatment by federal authorities and had requested help in returning to Yemen to visit his wife who is suffering from stomach cancer. A source close to Alanssi said he was contemplating suicide in the days before the incident.

The attorney for Al-Moayad already announced he intended to exploit this unusual behavior by the government's top witness in the case to his advantage. If the informant's mental stability is in doubt, his testimoney is less believable. The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuting the case had no comment on the matter.