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14 October 2004

Islamic African Relief Agency Aiding Terrorists, U.S. Government Says

U.S. treasury secretary says IARA aided al-Qaida and other such groups

By Charles W. Corey
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury October 13 announced its determination that the global network of the Islamic African Relief Agency (IARA) and five of its senior officials have been providing financial contributions to terrorist organizations.

The determination blocks all accounts, funds and assets of IARA in the United States and criminalizes the provision of money or support to any of the organization's more than 40 offices in the United States and worldwide.

In a written statement, Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said, "This action marks another crucial step in the United States Government's continuing efforts to close down the conduits that allow terrorists to raise and move money."

The international offices of IARA, headquartered in Khartoum, Snow said, "were providing direct financial support to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida, Hamas and other terrorist groups.

"Today's action shuts down financial channels that were being used to propagate terrorist activity."

Snow said terrorists are intently seeking "to abuse charitable networks and organizations for their evil purposes."

"Today's action," Snow said, "highlights the important role of designations in the war on terrorist finance: freezing assets that might otherwise have been used to support terrorists; preventing future funds from flowing through tainted channels; and making clear to the public and our international partners the conduits being used to fuel terrorism."

Snow called the designation process "a key weapon in our arsenal to combat terrorism" but cautioned, "It represents just one of the tools at our disposal.

A host of U.S. government agencies work hand in hand to combat terrorist networks from every angle of attack, Snow explained. "The tools and expertise of our colleagues in law enforcement agencies, as well as the intelligence and diplomatic communities, all play indispensable roles in this fight," he added.

Under President Bush's leadership, Snow said, 393 individuals and entities have been designated as terrorists or terrorist facilitators and, working in concert with its global partners, the United States has frozen more than $142 million in terrorist-related assets.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)