AL QAIDA-Bosnia’s Linkages to Al-Qaeda

All Mushahedin’s allegedly claiming to be born within Bosnia have declared themselves as "humanitarian workers" or holders of some form of a diplomatic passport. Most of them however were found out later to be merely plain members members of extremist Islamic groups such as: Al-Gama’a al Islamiyya, Hamas, GIA....Hezbolah....etc.. All of their basic operational needs have been apparently covered by a network of many of these so similar-like so-called "Islamic charities" such as the Benevolence Intonations Foundation and the Global Relief Found...all of these terrorist charitable organizations primarily had at least some form of their headquarters in both the United States and also some had their headquarters also in another Islamic Country. The names of following persons are those who received money from the aforementioned "charities" in the form of so-called "humanitarian aid" which they later "donated" to the high military command of the militant Mujahedin groups located outside of America which used the money for waging Jihad:

Name & Surname Donation Amount Remarks 1. Abu Jusuf $30.800 $ Purchased weapons 2. Abu al-Haris $ 5.500 $ Command requirements 3. Abu al Migvar $12.000 $ Purchased munitions 4. Abu Hamza $13.000 $ Command requirements 5. Abu Yassir $15.000 $ Purchased munitions 6. Abu Sanad $500 (riyals) Command requirements 7. Abu Eyub $200 $ Purchased cow & drinks

Or for example :

“The involvement of Yasin Al Kadi and Chafiq Ayadi in both Depositna Banka and Vakufska Banka with the financial backing of Mahmal Investment Co. Limited, has provided for years a financial arm to Islamic charities and terrorist organizations operating in Bosnia Herzegovina. In 2002, an intelligence report from the Bosnian Intelligence Services (AID- Agency for investigation and Documentation) revealed the active role of Vakufska Banka D.D. in terrorism funding. Indeed, AID described Vakufska Banka D.D. and the merged Depozitna Banka D.D., as a financial platform assisting al Haramain Islamic Foundation and al-Qaeda activities:

"The HO (al Haramain) spent around 13,000,000 KM ($7,647,000) between its foundation in 1997 and the end of last year2000. Financial transactions were through accounts at the Depozit[na] Bank, now the Vakufska Bank, whose major shareholders have been linked with PIS operating illegal money laundering".

The Bosnian Intelligence memo regarding the activities of Al Haramain states the following:

"Given all the above security factors, we believe that the clear lack of any concrete humanitarian projects indicates that the existence of this HO [Humanitarian Organization] was a fictitious cover (...)"

The report establishes Al Haramain role in financing and assisting Osama Bin Laden operations:

"Saudi HO [Humanitarian Organization] Al Haramain, (...) has acted as a channel for financing the activities of terrorist organizations. (...) According to available intelligence, the Sarajevo office assisted the terrorist organization Gama Al Islamija, while members of Bin Laden's El Itihad al Islamija (AIAI) terrorist groups were employed at the Somalia offices, which also financed their operations." In March 2002, during the Anti-terrorism operations in Bosnia, the new Vakufska Banka's director, Amir Rizvanovic recognized that Al Haramain was an active client of Vakufska Banka , while Nurudin Kusturica (bank's director for nine years) left the bank since the discovery that a former co-owner of Depozitna Banka and current co-owner of Vakufska Banka was on the list of SDGT for supporting terrorism.

Sulejman Vranj is a Bosnian Army Brigadier General and the former chief of the Personnel Office of the BH Federation Army's Joint Command. On February 2,2002, US General John Sylvester, as SFOR Commander, banned General Vranj to work in any military service "because of his participation in protests during the extradition of the Algerian Group to the US". The Algerian group was part of Al-Qaeda, and since then, General Vranj has been engaged in the Board of directors of Vakufska Banka. Additionally, according to Bosnian Financial Police documentation, Vakufska Banka is involved in terrorism financing through financial transactions between the Saudi High Commission for Relief and a company named Engra, managed by Balta Edin.

Balta Edin (son of Muharem), born on 12/30/1964 in Sarajevo, and residing in Sarajevo, director of the firm "Engra," D.O.O., Zenica, submitted false information about legally earned income of the firm in 1998, 1999, and 2000, of the income that he, as the firm's representative, personally received in cash from a customer at the foreign humanitarian organization Saudi High Commission for Relief. These money laundering transactions were operated between Engra D.O.O. headed by Balta Edin, the Saudi High Commission for Relief, convicted to funnel money to al-Qaeda operatives in Bosnia, and Vakufska Banka.

From 1998 to 2000, Engra D.O.O. conducted financial transactions on behalf of an organization linked to UBL through the following bank accounts: account 1604205500000502, opened with DD "Vakufska Banka," Sarajevo, Zenica Branch and account 1602000000869046 (from 04/08/2002), opened with DD "Depozitna Banka" Sarajevo. For years, either Depozitna Banka or Vakufska Banka have been associated with the funding of Islamic projects in BiH.

According to the report by the Bosnian Ambassador to the UN, Mirza Kusljugic provided to the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), a special investigation has been conducted in Bosnia to check the funds and assets of suspected individuals and agencies, which led to the freezing of two accounts in Vakufska Banka, the account of a citizen of Saudi Arabia [Yasin al Kadi]which amounted to 3.5 million DM as well as the account of an Investment Company from the Middle East [Mahmal Investment Co. Limited] which also amounted to 3.5 million DM.

Vakufska Banka has several partners in Europe and especially in Turkey, where the Bosnian bank is above all the main correspondent of Al Baraka Turkish Finance House, known to be connected to the Spanish cell of al-Qaida. Mohamed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi, financial head of al-Qaida in Spain, and financier of the Hamburg cell, transferred to UBL Courier for Europe, Mohamed Baiahah (aka Abu Khaled), $97,000 US on July 2000, through al Baraka Turkish Finance House in Turkey . According to the Spanish police documentation,Muhamed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi used several times Al Baraka Turkish Finance House to transfer money to al-Qaida operatives.

Regarding the activities of Al Baraka Turkish Finance House in Bosnia, the longterm inquiry conducted by Bosnian intelligence revealed that Al Baraka Bank provided support to Al Haramain operations and helped transfer funds for Osama Bin Laden operations. The Agency for investigation and Documentation - AID - gives further details in a memorandum titled "Some illegal activities of humanitarian organizations investigated by the relevant investigative bodies of the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina (FBiH)" :

"Records available for 1998 show a flow of money into the so-called "operating" account of the HO [Humanitarian Organization] at the Deposit Bank, Sarajevo, from the "main" account, sent from Saudi Arabia via the Deutsche Bank and the Albaraka Bank in Turkey. The amount is 1,059,687 DEM [$2.13 million US]".

Al Baraka Turkish Finance House, Al Baraka branch in Turkey is a subsidiary of the Dallah Al Baraka group .”

These and many other similar type Jihad warriors were supported via like "charities" which were mostly located within North America and all involved in some terrorist activities. The United States has great reason to worry. Experts on terrorism claim that the largest act of terrorism ever occurring on September 11th 2001 could not have been accomplished without at least 100 people involved in its planning. This clearly indicates that the Al-Qaeda network in clearly located comfortably within the United States and has been for many years. Finally, the United States is using its strong allies and associated connections to undertake a war against Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups like it. This will not be an easy uncomplicated task however.

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