U.S. Freezes Assets Of Three Gulf Nationals Linked With Terror Activities
ShareThis
June 6, 2008 7:14 p.m. EST
Sandeep Singh Grewal – AHN Middle East Correspondent
Manama, Bahrain (AHN) – A hardline Sunni movement here has condemned a decision by U.S. authorities to freeze bank accounts of two Bahrainis and one Qatari national. The U.S. Treasury Department has accused the three men of providing financial and logistic support to Al Qaeda.
U.S. Freezes Assets Of Three Gulf Nationals Linked With Terror Activities
ShareThis
June 6, 2008 7:14 p.m. EST
Sandeep Singh Grewal – AHN Middle East Correspondent
Manama, Bahrain (AHN) – A hardline Sunni movement here has condemned a decision by U.S. authorities to freeze bank accounts of two Bahrainis and one Qatari national. The U.S. Treasury Department has accused the three men of providing financial and logistic support to Al Qaeda.
The two Bahraini men are Adel Mohammed Mahmood Abdul Khaliq and Abdul Rahman Muhammad Jaffar Ali. The Qatari national is Khalifa Muhammad Turki al-Subaiy.
“These three dangerous individuals must be stopped from further facilitating terrorism. The global community should act swiftly to prohibit them from using the financial system and from travelling internationally,” said Stuart Levy, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in a statement.
The department also announced that any assets of the three men under U.S. jurisdiction were frozen and urged Americans not to engage in any transactions with them.
Mohammed Jaffer Abdulla Janahi, head of the Human Rights Section at the National Justice Movement here told AHN, “This is an absurd decision which makes no sense. Both the Bahraini men are from poor backgrounds and the authorities have no idea about their conditions.” The movement is closely following the case of the two men.
A statement on the U.S. Treasury website states that Ali and al-Subaiy were convicted by the High Criminal Court here in January of financing terrorism, undergoing terrorist training, and facilitating the travel of others abroad to receive terrorist training.
Ali was released by the Bahraini authorities but al-Subaiy was charged in absentia and continues to serve time in Qatar.
The other Bahraini, Khaliq, 24, was reportedly charged by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Federal Courts for state security crimes. He was arrested on Jan. 14, 2007 in UAE.
The Treasury Department stated that Khaliq was recruited by Al Qaeda to access sources of funding and to procure reliable equipment to expand their operations in Afghanistan in 2004. He travelled to Iran five times, the statement said, where he met with senior Al Qaeda members.
According to Khaliq’s family, he performed Hajj and returned to Bahrain for a short period and then left for the UAE to meet his uncle and grandparents.
In March, he was handed over by UAE authorities to Bahrain, where he continues to serve his time at Jaw prison.
“Adel used to work as a government employee and is poor. He has no money even for his marriage and the authorities will freeze their accounts. What will they get?,” said Janahi, the human rights activist.
The U.S. has also announced sanctions against a Bahrain bank, accusing it in March of helping Iran in its alleged nuclear proliferation activities. American officials said that Future Bank B.S.C was controlled by Iran’s Bank Melli.
Levy, the Treasury official, said,”Bank Melli goes to extraordinary lengths to assist Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear capability and ballistic missiles. Bahraini authorities have been closely monitoring Future Bank and took some steps after Treasury’s designations of Banks Melli and Saderat to attempt to prevent abuse by this institution.”
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011192744
