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| Arabia |
| Saudis still funding al-Qaeda |
| 2005-07-14 |
| The US government has suggested wealthy Saudi individuals remain "a significant source" of funds for Islamic terrorists around the world, despite widely-publicized efforts by the desert kingdom to shut down these channels. The statement by Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey before the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, contrasted with earlier upbeat assessments by US officials that Saudi Arabia was making good progress in stemming the flow of private money to terrorist groups. Levey said challenges posed by terrorist financing from within Saudi Arabia were "among the most daunting" his agency had to face as it tries to persuade Islamic nations to strengthen controls over their banks and charitable organizations. "Wealthy Saudi financiers and charities have funded terrorist organizations and causes that support terrorism and the ideology that fuels the terrorists' agenda", Levey told lawmakers Wednesday. "Even today, we believe that Saudi donors may still be a significant source of terrorist financing, including for the insurgency in Iraq," he added. US officials expressed particular concern about three Saudi-run charities that operate around the world: the International Islamic Relief Organization, the World Association of Muslim Youth and the Muslim World League. The Saudi government has moved to establish an oversight commission for its charitable sector and ordered an end to uncontrolled collection of charitable donations at mosques and retail shops. But US officials argued they wanted to see convincing proof that these proclaimed initiatives have become reality. Assistant Secretary of State Anthony Wayne told senators American diplomats continue to stress in their discussions with the Saudis "the need for full implementation, including a fully functioning charities commission." Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who chairs the committee, cited the case of the New York branch of Arab Bank, which is under investigation by the Justice Department on suspicion it had been used to channel funds to the radical Palestinian group Hamas and Al-Qaeda. "At the core of the Arab Bank case sits the Saudi Committee for the Support of the Al Quds Intifada, a known conduit for money destined for terrorist organizations in the West Bank and Gaza," Shelby fumed. Administration officials also voiced alarm that Saudi supporters of Al-Qaeda and anti-American insurgents in Iraq were increasingly turning to individual couriers rather than financial institutions to move cash across the border. "It is critical that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries lower reporting thresholds for cross-border transfers of cash and enforce these provisions aggressively," Levey said. So far, Saudi officials have not publicly responded to the new criticism, but Adel Al-Jubeir, a foreign policy adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, said Wednesday his government had punished institutions and individuals suspected of providing financial support to terrorists. "With regard to combating terror financing, Saudi Arabia has put in place one of the strictest financial controls in the world to ensure that no funds reach evil-doers intentionally or unintentionally," he said in an online discussion with readers of The Washington Post. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #6 Are they also behind all the Queen Obomonoja e-mails from Kenya I keep getting? |
| Posted by: BA 2005-07-14 15:36 |
| #5 Be a real shame if some of these guys had their banks hacked, and all their money stolen. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-07-14 11:52 |
| #4 Sounds like a job for the French Navy |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-14 11:39 |
| #3 You know, I saw a news video on TV a few years ago about the huge yacht a Saudi had parked in Monaco harbor. I was just picturing how some fat Saudi was living it up drinking, wenching, and gambling in Monaco, while also sending money to support the Jihadis. I couldn't help but think how blowing up that yacht with him on it, and other Saudis like him too, might significantly shorten the WOT. |
| Posted by: DO 2005-07-14 11:28 |
| #2 Arclight |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-07-14 10:26 |
| #1 My surprise meter must be broke, it didn't even budge.... |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-07-14 09:51 |