U.S. freezes Saudi charity assets
From Elise Labott
CNN State Department Producer
Friday, January 23, 2004 Posted: 0641 GMT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States and Saudi Arabia are asking for international help to block the assets of a Muslim charity accused of backing terrorist groups, including al Qaeda.
Four branches of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation -- in Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan -- were added to a U.S. list of groups and individuals suspected of bankrolling terrorism, effectively freezing any assets they hold in the U.S.
Last year, Saudi Arabia ordered Al-Haramain to close all of its overseas branches, but the Treasury Department said the branches in the four countries affected by Thursday's announcement continued to operate.
Treasury Secretary John Snow stood alongside Adel al-Jubair, the foreign policy adviser to the Saudi Crown Prince, as he touted the listing as further counter-terrorism cooperation between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.
"The four branches have cloaked themselves in the virtue of charity. And have done so only to fund and support terrorist organizations around the world, organizations like al Qaeda," Snow said.
"Our two countries send a clear message: those who hide intentions of terror behind a veil of benevolence and charity will not escape justice from the international community."
U.S. and Saudi officials said they will ask the United Nations to add the branches to its own list of groups suspected of financing terrorism, mandating all member states to freeze the branches' assets as well.
"We take this action today with the United States in order to make sure that the countries in which these offices operate are left with no choice but to shut them down," al-Jubair said. "We continue to investigate. We continue to look for evidence of suspicious activity or wrong doing and we will take action."
In March 2002, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia jointly froze the assets of Al-Haramain's branches in Somalia and Bosnia-Herzegonvia, accusing them of diverting charitable donations to fund terrorist activity.
Last month, U.S. officials moved to freeze the assets of a nonprofit organization headquartered in Bosnia believed to have been continuing the work of the Al-Haramain branch after its closing.
Since the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Saudi Arabia has instituted a number of financial controls on charities to curb terrorist financing.
Saudi charities are subject to audits and no longer permitted to send money outside the country. The country has also banned the collection of cash in mosques and public places
The Saudi government has initiated a crackdown on terrorists inside the country following deadly attack in Riyadh in May and November.
Since then, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have set up a joint counter-terrorism task force in the Saudi capital, comprised of law enforcement officials and officials from various agencies in both countries.
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