Posted on 12/07/2005 8:30:32 PM PST by montyspython
Albania Seizes Assets Of Bin Laden Associate
TIRANA (AP)--The Albanian government has seized the assets and bank accounts of a man who allegedly worked with Osama bin Laden and others to provide support to terror networks in Albania, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
Abdul Latif Saleh, who holds Jordanian and Albanian citizenship, was placed on a U.N. sanctions list in September, requiring all U.N. members to impose a travel ban on him and block his assets.
Albania earlier had blocked 33 bank accounts in three commercial banks as well as assets and investments in Saleh's businesses and civic organizations he was involved with. Saleh used six different names, said spokeswoman Eva Simoni.
She said she did not know how much money was in the accounts.
The Finance Minister's order also required people to report any link to Saleh or his businesses and prohibited them from doing business with him.
The U.S. Treasury Department alleges that bin Laden provided Saleh with funds to encourage the creation of extremist groups in Albania, where he is believed to be closely associated with groups linked to the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a group connected to al-Qaida.
It said Saleh founded an Albanian jihadist group that has been bankrolled by the Al Haramain Foundation, an Islamic charity with alleged links to al-Qaida.
Saleh is believed to be associated with Yasin al Qadi, a Saudi businessman that the U.S. accused of being a terrorist in October 2001. The department said Qadi was an active fund-raiser for Saleh's jihadist group.
Saleh is also being investigated for alleged money-laundering for al-Qaida. He left Albania more than three years ago.
Earlier this year, Albanian authorities seized property and froze the assets of four foundations and a married couple accused by the United Nations of funding terrorist activities.
December 07, 2005 09:21 ET (14:21 GMT)
* al-Haramain Foundation :
(snip) A number of Islamic relief funds and Islamic schools in the Netherlands have been linked to extremist causes. The Saudi al-Haramain Foundation is represented in Amsterdam by another foundation called El-Tawheed. The Kenyan branch of al-Haramain has been linked to the terrorist attacks on the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. They also supported the Chechen struggle. [ 19 ] Al-Haramain's director in Riad, Aqeel Abdelaziz al-Aqeel, is a member of the board of the Amsterdam based El-Tawheed Foundation. (/snip) - http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:E2KDJQSkby0C:www.mackenzieinstitute.com/commentary.html+%22Yassin+al-Kadi%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
1998 : (KENYA & TANZANIA : US EMBASSY BOMBINGS - See AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION, AL QAEDA) The Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation has an office in Ashland, Oregon. According to a lawsuit, the Ashland, Oregon office was linked to al Qaeda, and the Al-Haramain branch in Kenya that was banned following the 1998 Embassy Bombings.[1]-- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
MARCH 2000 : (USA : PORTLAND, MAINE : AL BARAKAAT / AL BARAKA , BANKING, LIBAN HUSSEIN - See AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION) Liban Hussein, a principal of Somalia-based money-management company Al Barakaat with offices in the US, opens an account for Al Barakaat at Key Bank in Portland, Maine and applies for approval to wire up to $50,000 from Key Bank to the company's account at Emirates Bank International Ltd. in Dubai, UAE. ny-usport182469421nov18.story-coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines
******
Al-Haramain [Foundation] is also involved with the Al Baraka banking empire, which was also named in the 9/11 lawsuit. AL-Baraka finances the activities of bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. ... Al-Haramain has another location in the United States. According to the 9/11 complaint, Al-Haramain owns a building in Springfield, Missouri that is home of the Islamic Center of Springfield, which is a mosque. -- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
MARCH 17, 2000 - AUGUST 1, 2001 : (AL BARAKAAT, BANKING, LIBAN HUSSEIN - See AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION) $974,000 was transferred to the Emirates Bank International, Ltd, in Dubai, UAE in this time period. ny-usport182469421nov18.story-coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines
MARCH 2002 : (BOSNIA : AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION IS LINKED TO AL QAEDA AND CHECHNYAN FIGHTERS)In March 2002, Bosnian intelligence reported that Al-Haramain was related to terrorist operations-especially Al-Qaeda and Chechnyan rebels. A raid of the Sarajevo office of Al-Haramain revealed that $1.59 million was not unaccounted for by the group. Bosnian intelligence reported that: “We believe that the clear lack of any concrete humanitarian projects indicates that the existence of this organization was a fictitious cover for probable links with terrorism.” That same month President Bush included Al-Haramain in an executive order freezing the assets of organizations financing terrorism. -------- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
JUNE 2, 2002 : (BOSNIA : LT GEN SYLVESTER'S COMMENTS ON AL-HARAMAIN OFFICE RAIDS) The FUBT lawsuit notes that after raids of Al-Haramain offices in Bosnia in June 2, 2002, the Commander of the NATO-led forces in Bosnia, Lieutenant General John Sylvester stated:
“We detected a pattern here . . . for terrorist cells and those who aid and harbor them to operate behind the shield of legitimate humanitarian . . . organizations…. They were preaching good, and sometimes doing good, while plotting evil."[3][ http://law.about.com/library/911/blintroduction.htm ]-- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
SEPTEMBER 2002 : (OMAR AL-FARUQ REVEALS THAT THE AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION WAS USED TO PASS FUNDS TO HIM FROM BIN LADEN - See QOQAZ.NET, AZZAM PUBLICATIONS, HOUSTON TX) In September 2002, Indonesian Al-Qaeda informant Omar al-Faruq told the CIA that Al-Haramain was used to remit funds to him from bin Laden. Al-Haramain’s website used to have a direct link to qoqaz.net, which is a website that is part of the al Qaeda propaganda network. The website is owned by Azzam Publications, bin Laden’s propaganda vehicle, and operated from Houston Texas.-- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
MAY 2003 : (SEVEN OF AL HARAMAIN OFFICES BEING CLOSED - US OFFICES STILL OPEN)... the Saudi government, in May 2003, closed seven of this [Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation] charity’s offices in other countries – at the request of the federal government. Yet, the US offices were not closed. --- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003
JUNE 2003 : (SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCES THAT ALL FOREIGN OFFICES OF THE AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION WERE TO BE CLOSED) in June (2003) they [the Saudis] stated that al-Haramain was not acting according to its charter and announced that all foreign offices were to be closed. [Steve] Emerson did remark that the Ashland office was still in operation.-- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
SEPTEMBER? 2003 : (ASHLAND, OR : AL HARAMAIN FOUNDATION EMPTY? - See QURAN FOUNDATION, PETE SADA, ARABIAN NIGHTS PROGRAM) A call to the Ashland office [of the al Haramain Foundation] revealed that there is no staff there. There was only an answering service. The address listed for the Ashland, Oregon Al-Haramain office, is 1257 Siskiykou Boulevard. This is a UPS mail office. The same address is used for the Quran Foundation. The president of this organization is a local Arab-American arborist named Pete Seda. The Quran Foundation is a nonprofit Islamic educational organization. Seda is affiliated with Al-Haramain. He operates an Al-Haramain affiliated program called Arabian Nights, which familiarizes people with Arab culture and the Islamic faith.
Apparently, Seda is considered a benefactor in Ashland. He bought a camel to show kids who attend his Arabian Nights program. A local Ashland, Oregon newspaper, the Daily Tidings, despite all the controversy involving Al-Haramain, described Al-Haramain simply has an Oregon nonprofit organization.
One wonders when the federal government and the Ashland newspapers will start investigating the allegations and the operations of Al-Haramain’s local office. -- "Terrorist Charity," By Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, September 16, 2003, http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9838
JUNE 2004 : (OREGON : TERROR CHARITIES : SAUDI GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO SHUT DOWN AL-HARAMAIN FOUNDATION) . -- The Saudi Arabian government is trying to shut down an Islamic charity with ties to Oregon and to terrorism. Al-Haramain runs a branch in Ashland and owns a house and acreage (pictured) in the Southern Oregon town. The FBI shut down the Ashland branch and seized evidence several months ago. The Oregon foundation is accused of laundering money from overseas and channeling it to terrorist groups. Al-Haramain still owns the Ashland property but cannot use it until the investigation is complete. The organization's president is believed to be out of the country, possibly in Saudi Arabia or Bosnia. -- "Saudi Officials Try To Shut Down Oregon Charity: Group Owns Property In Ashland," koin.com, June 4, 2004
OCTOBER 20, 2001 : (BBC REPORTS THAT THE UNITED NATIONS IN 1997 FUNDED THE WORK OF THE TERROR CHARITY CALLED 'MUWAFAQ' aka 'BLESSED RELIEF FOUNDATION,' WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED BY YASIN AL QADI aka YASSIM AL KADI) A BBC investigation has revealed that the United Nations funded the work of a charity believed by the United States to be a front organisation for Osama Bin Laden. The UN donated more than $1.4m to a consortium of charities working in the Sudan in 1997, one of which was the Muwafaq (Arabic: blessed relief) Foundation. The US Treasury believes wealthy businessman Yasin al-Qadi set up the charity.
In a [Oct 2001] crackdown following the 11 September plane attacks on the US, Mr al-Qadi's assets were among those frozen by the Treasury for alleged links with terrorism. ...An investigation by Angus Stickler of the BBC's Today programme, shows that the UN donated money to Muwafaq to "promote educational and social development programmes" in Sudan. ...
According to Treasury officials, the charity [Muwafaq aka Blessed Relief] was used by wealthy Saudi businessmen to transfer millions of dollars to Bin Laden. Bin Laden is the number one suspect for the 11 September attacks. .But Mr al-Qadi has denied any connection with terrorism and has instructed his lawyers in the US and Britain to work to clear his name. His London lawyers, Peter Carter Ruck, said: "Our client is horrified and shocked that his name has been included in this (Treasury) list."...
..If the US allegation is true, it will underline the vulnerability of many charities to militant influence, but also jolt the reputation of the UN. ..."The fact that the UN has been so easily duped will no doubt cause great unease within the international community," says the BBC's correspondent. "Not only would it have allowed terrorists to masquerade under a cloak of decency - it actually provided hard cash with which they could fund their cause."---------- "Bin Laden 'received UN cash' : Charities worldwide responded to the Sudan's famine ," BBC, 10-20-01
* Yasin al Kadi : (snip) Americans are "losing more and more of their friends," says Mr. Kadi, the Saudi businessmen whom the Treasury Department placed on the Friday list of 39 individuals and entities suspected of terrorism. "People feel targeted for no reason and that the Americans are again trying a witch hunt."
U.S. officials say that Muwafaq Foundation, a charity run by Mr. Kadi, funneled millions to Mr. bin Laden. But Mr. Kadi, who notes the charity has been defunct for five years, denied any involvement in terrorism. Speaking by telephone from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Mr. Kadi further condemned the Sept. 11 attacks -- and the failure of American authorities to contact him before denouncing him as a terrorist. (/snip) ------- "Assault on Charities Is Risky Front for U.S.; Crackdown Could Destabilize Saudi Allies, " By ANDREW HIGGINS, ROBERT BLOCK, and GLENN SIMPSON , Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, October 16, 2001 http://www.fsu.edu/~wtcteach/assets/charities%20risky.rtf. ***
* Al Kadi : Al-Kadi sits on the board of a Nevada-based firm called Global Diamond Resources which trades over the counter. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html.
* al Kadi : After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush Administration labeled al-Kadi as a terrorist financier and froze his assets in the U.S. Global Diamond Resources disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the company had frozen his shares in the company. A phone call to a Global Diamond Resource office in La Jolla, California found that the number listed was disconnected. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html. ***
* Al-Kadi : Al-Kadi, 46, also has been reported to be a major investor in a Canadian diamond mining and exploration firm, MIT Ventures, based in Vancouver. A corporate secretary reached by phone Friday couldn't confirm that al-Kadi is indeed an investor. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html. ***
According to the al-Kadi's biography on file in connection with Global Diamond Resources, Kadi is Chairman of the Saudi National Consulting Center and Qordoba Real Estate Co. both based in Saudi Arabia. He is also chairman of Caravan Co. based in Turkey and sits on the of boards of a Pakistani chemical and pharmaceutical company Himont Chemical and Cariba Bank based in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html. ***
* al Kadi :The [Dec 6, 2002] raid [on Ptech] was prompted specifically by fears that data made available to Ptech, for example as part of its development of a Military Information Architecture Accelerator for the Defense Department, might have been compromised since the company received substantial financing from Qassin al-Kadi and M. Yaqub Mirza. According to press accounts, the former is a Saudi national suspected by the U.S. government of funneling funds to al Qaeda. The latter is a Pakistani immigrant who reportedly controls "a web of businesses and charities in Northern Virginia raided by antiterror investigators in March" and is believed to have provided money to the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as al Qaeda.------ "Know thy enemy ," by Frank J. Gaffney Jr., The Washington Times, December 10, 2002
MARCH 1, 2004 : (REPORT : YASIN AL QADI aka AL KADI DEMANDS THAT AUTHORITIES IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES UNFREEZE HIS ASSETS - See JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD, UNITED NATIONS) More than two years after his name was listed among those funding terrorism, Saudi businessman Yasin Al-Qadi demands authorities unfreeze his assets in several countries.
Lawyers for the prominent Saudi businessman and philanthropist, Yasin Al-Qadi, who has been listed by US authorities among individuals allegedly linked to the Al-Qaeda network, have revealed how a French investigator used the name of the United Nations to try to validate and promote a report falsely accusing the Saudis of financing terrorism. Al-Qadi also had his assets in several countries frozen.
The investigator, Jean-Charles Brisard, wrote a report in 2002 entitled “Terrorism Financing: Routes and Trends of Saudi Terrorism Financing” which he claimed had been commissioned by the UN. The UN, however, denied any link to the report. Brisard stated that the report had been prepared for the President of the UN Security Council at that time, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso. The ambassador, however, said he had never met or spoken to Brisard.-- "French Investigator Tricked UN Over Terror Report, Say Al-Qadi Lawyers," by Abdul Wahab Bashir, Arab News Staff , JEDDAH, 1 March 2004
* My note: I wonder if al Qadi and Joe Wilson ever met?
* Yasin al Kadi : (snip) Americans are "losing more and more of their friends," says Mr. Kadi, the Saudi businessmen whom the Treasury Department placed on the Friday list of 39 individuals and entities suspected of terrorism. "People feel targeted for no reason and that the Americans are again trying a witch hunt."
U.S. officials say that Muwafaq Foundation, a charity run by Mr. Kadi, funneled millions to Mr. bin Laden. But Mr. Kadi, who notes the charity has been defunct for five years, denied any involvement in terrorism. Speaking by telephone from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Mr. Kadi further condemned the Sept. 11 attacks -- and the failure of American authorities to contact him before denouncing him as a terrorist. (/snip) ------- "Assault on Charities Is Risky Front for U.S.; Crackdown Could Destabilize Saudi Allies, " By ANDREW HIGGINS, ROBERT BLOCK, and GLENN SIMPSON , Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, October 16, 2001 http://www.fsu.edu/~wtcteach/assets/charities%20risky.rtf. ***
* Al Kadi : Al-Kadi sits on the board of a Nevada-based firm called Global Diamond Resources which trades over the counter. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html.
* al Kadi : After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Bush Administration labeled al-Kadi as a terrorist financier and froze his assets in the U.S. Global Diamond Resources disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the company had frozen his shares in the company. A phone call to a Global Diamond Resource office in La Jolla, California found that the number listed was disconnected. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html. ***
* Al-Kadi : Al-Kadi, 46, also has been reported to be a major investor in a Canadian diamond mining and exploration firm, MIT Ventures, based in Vancouver. A corporate secretary reached by phone Friday couldn't confirm that al-Kadi is indeed an investor. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html. ***
According to the al-Kadi's biography on file in connection with Global Diamond Resources, Kadi is Chairman of the Saudi National Consulting Center and Qordoba Real Estate Co. both based in Saudi Arabia. He is also chairman of Caravan Co. based in Turkey and sits on the of boards of a Pakistani chemical and pharmaceutical company Himont Chemical and Cariba Bank based in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. ----- "The War On Terrorism, 'Feds Look For Data On Saudi In Ptech Raid' ," by Arik Hesseldahl, Forbes.com, 12.06.02, 6:45 PM ET, http://www.forbes.com/2002/12/06/cx_ah_1206raid.html. ***
* al Kadi :The [Dec 6, 2002] raid [on Ptech] was prompted specifically by fears that data made available to Ptech, for example as part of its development of a Military Information Architecture Accelerator for the Defense Department, might have been compromised since the company received substantial financing from Qassin al-Kadi and M. Yaqub Mirza. According to press accounts, the former is a Saudi national suspected by the U.S. government of funneling funds to al Qaeda. The latter is a Pakistani immigrant who reportedly controls "a web of businesses and charities in Northern Virginia raided by antiterror investigators in March" and is believed to have provided money to the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as al Qaeda.------ "Know thy enemy ," by Frank J. Gaffney Jr., The Washington Times, December 10, 2002
MARCH 1, 2004 : (REPORT : YASIN AL QADI aka AL KADI DEMANDS THAT AUTHORITIES IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES UNFREEZE HIS ASSETS - See JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD, UNITED NATIONS) More than two years after his name was listed among those funding terrorism, Saudi businessman Yasin Al-Qadi demands authorities unfreeze his assets in several countries.
Lawyers for the prominent Saudi businessman and philanthropist, Yasin Al-Qadi, who has been listed by US authorities among individuals allegedly linked to the Al-Qaeda network, have revealed how a French investigator used the name of the United Nations to try to validate and promote a report falsely accusing the Saudis of financing terrorism. Al-Qadi also had his assets in several countries frozen.
The investigator, Jean-Charles Brisard, wrote a report in 2002 entitled “Terrorism Financing: Routes and Trends of Saudi Terrorism Financing” which he claimed had been commissioned by the UN. The UN, however, denied any link to the report. Brisard stated that the report had been prepared for the President of the UN Security Council at that time, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso. The ambassador, however, said he had never met or spoken to Brisard.-- "French Investigator Tricked UN Over Terror Report, Say Al-Qadi Lawyers," by Abdul Wahab Bashir, Arab News Staff , JEDDAH, 1 March 2004
* My note: I wonder if al Qadi and Joe Wilson ever met?
Thanks! I'm wondering where the diamonds mentioned there are being mined. I see references to the locations of incorporation and of the owners/management but not of the mines themselves, unless I'm missing something (still trying to absorb all that). It'd be interesting to know where the diamonds are coming from--I have an idea. . .
Regarding your note, a number of the groups mentioned here tie into a network that seems to center around Khalid bin Mahfouz, linked to (among various other things) the company Nimir Petroleum, a partner of the Alamoudis' Delta Oil. I have a huge mess of data on this I need to organize into presentable form--might send you that privately because it'd just clutter up the thread if I post it here.
You have the big ping list!
Unfortunately, we have 2-3 of those brain-dead types about the place.
Bump!
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