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US sanctions target bin Laden's son-in-law
[Al Arabiya] The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday imposed sanctions on the son-in-law of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, saying he was a potential chief financial officer of the terror network.The U.S. Treasury said it had blacklisted Muhammad Abdallah Hasan Abu-al-Khayr, now a key leader of al-Qaeda's finance section, and froze any of his U.S. assets and prohibited those in the United States from engaging in any transactions with him. Al-Khayr, could succeed the terror mastermind's one-time treasurer Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, who was recently killed in Pakistan apparently in a U.S. drone strike, the Treasury said in a statement. "After the death in May of Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, who essentially served as al-Qaeda's chief financial officer, we will continue to work with our allies to target those like al-Khayr who could step into al-Yazid's shoes," said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey. "Today's designation by the United States and the United Nations will help to ensure that al-Qaeda remains in severe financial straits," Stuart Levey, Levey said, referring to similar action by a U.N. sanctions committee. The Treasury Department action freezes any assets al-Khayr has under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. citizens from engaging in any transactions with him. Al-Khayr "has transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars for a specific terrorist attack against U.S. interests," the department said in the statement. "His relationship with al-Qaeda began with military training the terrorist group provided for him in the mid-1990s," the statement added. "Al-Khayr is a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden and has also provided services to bin Laden as a bodyguard." Al-Khayr appeared on a 2009 list of 85 persons wanted by Saudi Arabia, in part because of his role as an al-Qaeda money man. He has allegedly transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars "for a specific terrorist attack against U.S. interests." Al-Khayr also acted for al-Qaeda in a leadership role on its media committee, and has on at least one occasion recruited a member for al-Qaeda, the statement said. Posted by: Fred 2010-08-25 |
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