A federal judge on Monday set a deadline later this month for prosecutors to take testimony from an Arab-American software engineer detained as a material witness. The order was the first public acknowledgment the government was holding Maher “Mike” Hawash since he was seized by armed FBI agents on March 20. Friends and family say Hawash, 38, is being held in solitary confinement at a federal prison just south of Portland. But the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office have repeatedly declined to comment. In his order, U.S. District Judge Robert Jones confirmed Hawash is being detained. He said he could not reveal the reasons because they “concern matters pending before the grand jury.” The judge’s order requires prosecutors to take a deposition from Hawash or present him to the grand jury to testify no later than April 25. Full Story