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^Somalis Lose Cash Lifeline Page 1 of 3

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Somalis Lose Cash LifelineBy DAVAN MAHARAJ, Times Staff WriterMOGADISHU, Somalia Somalia is a country that operates on smallhandouts: $50 from a son in San Diego to his mother; $100 from anephew in Dubai to an uncle; $200 from a daughter in Dallas to hermother caring for eight other children.These small sums are sent through Mogadishu-based Al Barakaat andcompanies like it, adding up to hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The money sustainsmuch of the country,an d Al Barakaat hasused the cash flow tobecome somethingakin to aconglomerate inSomalia. It operatescell phonecompanies and aprivate postalservice and has beenplanning to open aPepsi bottling plant,the first here since1 9 9 0 .

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Al Barakaat's funds were frozen Wednesday by President Bush, alongwith those of 61 other organizations and individuals. The companyplays such a central role in Somali life that people here fear thatclosing the operation could trigger starvation on the order of the faminea decade ago that killed thousands of people."This will recall what happened in 1992," Al Barakaat Deputy GeneralManager Abas Adbi Ali said in an interview Wednesday, just beforeofficials in Washington released their latest list of organizations andindividuals suspected of financial links to terrorists. "A whole lot ofpeople would lose their lives."A name matching Ali's is on the new U.S.document.The naming of Al Barakaat and several Somali nationals could add to

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AfricaOnline.com - U N moves to save Al Barakaat Page 1 o f 4

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UN moves to save Al BarakaatBy Dennis OnyangoSomalia, April 29 2002The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)Somalia Office is launching a programme toformalise and legalise Somalia's largest moneytransfer system, Al Barakaat, five months after theUS shut it down on suspicion of being linked toOs a m a bin Laden.Afraid that the closure of Al Barakaat - which is alsothe country's largest private sector employer - maycau s e a new humanitarian crisis in the war-ravagedcountry, UNDP plans to work with foreigngovernments and Somalia's remaining moneytransfer and remittance companies "to ensure thatinternationally recognised procedures are followed inthe flow of money in and out of the country."M s Sonya Lawrence Green, a n information officer a tUNDP Somalia, said the UN agency will providetechnical support to remittance companies, currentlyonly two,to comply with standard financial rules andregulations and help the firms institute standardbook keeping, auditing and reporting. The agencywill also help Somalia establish a "Financial ActionTask Force" to combat money laundering.The UNDP project comes amid growing internationalconcern that the US may have no evidence that AlBarakaat had links with the Al Q aeda terroristnetwork.

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Algeria; More killedThe US labelled Al Barakaat "thequartermasters ofterror," when they put it out of business, but nowsome USofficials are reported to acknowledge thatth e evidence of Al Barakaat's backing fo r terrorism is Swaziland; Masuku

http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/l,3,47323.jsp 2/11/2004


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[Imc-nigeria] Fwd: [WTOactivists] Attacks on Somali Community/USA Page 1 of 2

[Imc-nigeria] Fwd: [WTOactivists] Attacks onSomali Community/USAmarshall law blackngrin at hotmail.comTue Jan 8 21:17:01 2002

Previous message: [Imc-nigeria] the cause of unemployment Next message: [Imc-nigeria] CN N-Paula Zahn: Taliban Pipeline (stop look listen) Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] jjsubjecLl [ author ]

> Two Months after Raids, No Release of Frozen Somali Assets> >Minneapolis, Minnesota> >Sunday, January 6th, 2001> >> >> >Almost two months after the initial raids on several Somali hawalas> (money> >transfer businesses) in Minneapolis, the Somali Justice Advocacy Center> >called a vigil in front of one of the closed money wiring services on the> >West Bank, to bring attention to the continued suffering of the Somali> >community.> >> >Omar Jamal, executive Director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center,> >opened the vigil by highlighting the fact that most of the Somali> f mi lies> >who are being affected are still dependent on the hawala network to get> >their hard-earned money to their loved ones, many of who survive off of> >these funds in the refugee camps in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.> >> >Contrary to U.S. Justice Department claims that there ar e other ways for> >the Somali Community in Minneapolis to transfer this money, nearly two> >months of frozen assets has according to Omar Jamal, "threatened th e very> >economy of Somalia itself." While the U.S. Justice Department claims>that> >the aim is to disable th e "terrorist connections" to these money transfer> >businesses, the real victims of this economic policy by the Bush> >Administration are in fact those already suffering in the refugee camps> >the horn of Africa, and their families in the U.S. who fear for their> > families' survival.> >> >The crowd asked Omar Jamal questions of how they can help the Somali> > community. "Contact Senator Mark Dayton's and Senator Paul Wells tone's> >offices, and ask them to pressure th e Bush Administration to release> these> > frozen funds", Omar Jamal said. Mr. Omar urged the crowd to call their> >elected officials, and let them know that this is a land of laws, that it> >doesn't matter who is in the Oval Office, that it is the constitution>that> >is most important. That everyone's human rights must be respected and> >upheld.> >> >Jamal Omar also brought to light that new regulations are being enacted

http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-nigeria/2002-January/000031 .html 2/17/2004


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somalia (10/03) Pagel of 10

Home I Contact Us I Email thisPage I F01A I :R1vacyMce1ftrchweU . S . D E P A R T M E N T o f S T A T E

About theState Dept. Press and [Traveland Countries|international l|Htstory.Education!' ' and Regions11Issues UBand CultureBureau of African AffairsOctober 2003

GeographyPeopleHistoryGovernmentPolitical Conditions:EconomyDefenseForeign RelationsU.S. Relations

Background Note: SomaliaPROFILEOFFICIAL NAME (Former):Somali Democratic RepublicNOTE: Somaliahas been without acentral government since 1991, and muchofthe territory has been subject toserious civil strife. There is noofficial U.S.representation inSomalia. Statistical dataonSomalia inthis report date from2002 and are subject todispute and error.GeographyArea: 637,657 sq. km.; slightly smaller than Texas.Cties: Cap/te/--Mogadishu. Other c/ftes-Hargeisa, Kismayo, Bosasso, Badoa.Terrain: Mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in the north.Climate: Principally desert; December to February-northeast monsoon, moderatetemperatures in north, and very hot in the south; May to October-southwestmonsoon, torrid in the north, and hot in the south; irregular rainfall; hot and humidperiods (tangambili) between monsoons.

Travel/BusinessB a c k g r o u n d N o t e s A -Z

PeopleNationality: A/oun~Somali(s). /Wyecf/Ve-Somali.Population (July 2001 est., nocensus exists): 7,488,773 (of which anestimated 2-3 million in Somaliland).Annual growth rate (2001 est.): 3.48%.Ethnc groups: 85% Somali, 15% non-Somali (Bantuand Arabs).Religion: 99.9% Muslim.Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English.Education: L/teracy-totalpopulation that can read and write, 24%: male 36%;female 14%.Health: Infant mortality rate-123.97/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth--total population: 46.6yrs.Work force (3.7 million; very few are skilled workers): Pastoral nomad~6Q%.Agriculture, government, trading, f ishing, industry, handicrafts, and other--40%.GovernmentType: None.Independence: July 1,1960 (fromamerger of the former Somaliland Protectorateunder British rule, which became independent fromthe UK onJune 26, 1960, andItalian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UNtrusteeship on July 1,1960 to form the Somali Republic).Constitution: None inforce. Note: The Transitional National Government createdin August 2000 was formed tocreate a new constitution and hold elections within3 years.

http://www.state.gOV/r/pa/ei/bgn/2863.httn 2/11/2004


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' Somalia on the precipice Page 1 o f 2

From Africa Recovery, Vol. 15#4 (December 2001), Watch pageSomalia on the precipiceSomalia is a "forgotten emergency," says UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Randolph Kent.In 2001, donors contributed barely a fifth of needed emergency assistance. UN agencies acknowledgethat although the humanitarian situation will worsen in 2002, their overall request for relief aid has beenscaled back from $130 mn to $83.7 mn, "in recognition that the political environment is not yetconducive for a significant injection of transitional and recovery funding," notes a press releaseM r. Kent's office.

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Somalia's current tragedy has in fact been worsened by the political falloutof the Afghanistan crisis. The US government has maintained thatcompanies involved in transferring remittances to Somalia from Somalisliving abroad may have links to "terror networks," and has sought to shutthem down. Such remittances may have brought in between $500 mn and$700 mn a year, a sum which has now been cut in half.M r. Kent, at a briefing at UN headquarters in New York, noted that thishardship has come on top of several others: a serious drought that has leftnearly 800,000 Somalis in desperate need of food relief, the onset ofhyper-inflation over the past year, and a ban on livestock exports to SaudiArabia and other Gulf states because of fear of infection from Rift ValleyFever, cutting off another $300-400 mn in export earnings.

Photo: UNHCR / E.Dagnino

Previously, Somalia had been slowly recovering from a decade of civil war, with the establishment of afragile transitional government in Mogadishu and clear signs of economic recovery, financed largely byremittances and investments by Somalis in the diaspora. Now, however, because of its combineddifficulties, "Somalia is on the precipice of potential and total economic collapse," Mr. Kentemphasized. Even though UN officials in Somalia have not so far detected any significant signs of"radicalism," such a collapse could provide conditions in which it may emerge.In addition to urging donors to respond favourably to the UN's emergency aid appeal, Mr. Kentrecommended relatively simple and inexpensive steps to strengthen Somali banking institutions, in orderto improve transparency and the ability to monitor cash transfers. The resumption of remittances couldgo a long way toward helping many Somalis survive.

[Backto index] [To Volumel5#4 - full graphics]

This article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to "Africa Recovery, United Nations".Permission to use photographs must be obtained from the copyright holder, as credited.We would appreciate receiving a copy of any article reproduced.

http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/subjindx/154somal.htm 3/26/2004


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tXIS-NEXIS View Printable Page Page 1 of 2

LexisNex sCopyright 2004 Associated PressAll Rights ReservedAssociated Press Worldstream

These materials m ay not be republished without the express written consent of The A ssociated PressJanuary 7, 2004 Wednesday

SECTION: INTERNATIONAL NEW SDISTRIBUTION: Europe; Britian; Scandinavia; Middle East; Africa; India; Asia; EnglandLENGTH: 374 wordsHEADLINE: Italian prosecutor says no basis for terrorism charges in probe of alleged Somali financinglink to al-QaidaDATELINE: ROMEBODY:A Florence prosecutor has asked that terrorism charges be dropped in a probe of a Somali financingchannel, saying U.S. anti-terrorism investigators have concluded there is no proof that it funneled moneyto the al-Qaida terrorist network, Italian news reports said W ednesday.Since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, Prosecutor Francesco Fleury has been investigatingorganizations, including money-wiring outfits sending Somali immigrants' m oney hom e, suspected offunneling funds to Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization.The ANS A news agency reported from Florence that Fleury has formally asked judges to drop terrorismcharges against 15 suspects, saying that information obtained from U.S. anti-terrorism agencies say noproof has been found that the Al-Barakaat financing network channeled funds to al-Qaida.In the weeks following Sept. 11, Italian police seized documents and other material in offices that handleimmigrants' remittances to Somalia and several other countries.There was no answer at Fleury's office Wednesday afternoon.Sigfrido Fenyes, a lawyer for one of the suspects in the case, said he hadn't yet seen Fleury's officialrecommendation bu t that in September he received official judicial notice that terrorism charges werebeing dropped partly because of information received from U.S. authorities.His client, Hussein Mahamud Abdullkadir, a Somali physician living in Florence, is still underinvestigation on charges that he sent money to Somalia by illicit methods rather through legal bankingchannels.ANSA said F leury had asked judges to order the suspects to stand trial on charges of criminalassociation for illegal banking activities.

https://www.nexis.com/research/search/submitViewTagged 3/26/2004


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Section 1 of 1

SomaliaSOMALIA'S DIFF ICULT D ECA DE , 1980-90Entrenching Siad Barre's Personal RuleThe Ogaden War of 1977'-78 between Somalia and Ethiopia and the consequent refugee influx forcedSomalia to depend for its economic survival on hum anitarian handouts (see The Qgaden War;Performance and Implications of Defeat, ch. 5). Domestically, the lost war produced a national mood ofdepression. Organized opposition groups began to emerge, and in dealing with them Siad Barreintensified his political repression, using jailings, torture, and sum mary executions of dissidents an dcollective punishment of clans thought to have engaged in organized resistance.Siad Barre's new Western friends, especially the United States, which had replaced the Soviet Union asthe main user of the naval facilities at Berbera, turned out to be reluctant allies. Althoug h prepared tohelp the Siad Barre regime econom ically through direct grants, World Ban k (see Glossary)-sponsoredloans, and relaxed International M onetary Fund ( IMFsee Glossary) regulations, the United Stateshesitated to offer Somalia m ore m ilitary aid than was essential to maintain internal security. The am ountof United States military and economic aid to the regime was US $34 million in 1984; by 1987 thisamount had dwindled to about US $8.7 million, a fraction of the regime's requested allocation of US$47million (see Foreign Military Assistance, ch. 5). Western countries were also pressuring the regime toliberalize econom ic and political life and to renounce historical Somali claims on territory in Kenya andEthiopia. In response, Siad Barre held parliamentary elections in December 1979. A "people'sparliament" was elected, all of whose members belonged to the government party, the SRSP. Followingthe elections, Siad Barre again reshuffled the cabinet, abolishing the positions of his three vicepresidents. This action was followed by another reshuffling in October 1980 in which the old Suprem eRevolutionary Council w as revived. T he mov e resulted in three parallel and overlapping bu reaucraticstructures within one administration: the party's politburo, which exercised executive powers through itsCentral Committee, the Council of Minsters, and the SRC. The resulting confusion of functions withinthe administration left decision m aking solely in Siad Barre's hands.In February 1982, Siad Barre visited the United States. He had responded to growing domestic criticismby releasing from detention two leading political prisoners of conscience, former premier Igaal andformer police comm ander Abshir, both of whom had languished in prison since 1969. On June 7, 1982,

http://lcweb2.1oc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ so0038) 2/11/2004


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LEXIS-NEXIS View Printable Page Page 1 of 4

LexisNexisCopyright 2001 Star TribuneStar Tribune (Minneapo lis, MM )

November 8, 2001, Thursday, M etro Ed itionSECTION: NEWS; Pg . 1ALENGTH: 1465 wordsHEADLINE: Terror probe turns to Minneapolis;5 metro money-transfer firms closed in worldw ide crackdownBYLINE: Greg Gordon; Joy Powell; Staff WritersBODY:RSEC: Federal agents raided and blocked the accounts of five Minneapolis money-transferoperations Wednesday as part of a worldwide effort to cut off financing for Osama bin Lad en's terroristnetwork.

President Bush said the Treasury Department froze the assets of 62 organizations and individualsconnected to two global financial operations. He pointed to "solid and credible evidence" of their ties toBin Laden."The entry point for these networks may be a small storefront operation," Bush said. "But follow thenetwork to its center, and you discover wealthy banks and sophisticated technology, all at the service ofmass m urderers. By shutting these networks down, we disrupt their m urderous w ork."

One of the organizations targeted was Al-Barakaat, which channels mo ney to Somalia and has itsbiggest U.S. presence in Minneapolis. Investigators sealed Al-Barakaat offices in three other U.S. citiesand made one arrest.Wednesday's action brought to 150 the number of indiv iduals and organizations alleged to be financialsupporters of terrorism. A bout $43 million in assets has been frozen in the United States and abroad inrecent weeks.

The latest organizations to be targeted are:- Al-Barakaat, a mon ey-transfer network with operations in 40 countries. Treasury Departmentofficials said they have evidence tha t the firm has skimmed a percentage of the money-transfer fees

charged to customers and channeled it to Bin Laden's Al-Qaida terrorist organization.- Al-Taqwa, a network of companies in Sw itzerland, Liechtenstein, the Bahamas and Italy thatTreasury officials said has served as a cash-transfer mechanism and investment manager for Al-Qaida.Treasury officials said it is controlled by Youssef Nada, a Tunisian.A n additional 96 2 accounts are being reviewed, said Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill.Twin Cities Somalis, estimated to com prise half of the nation's 100,000 resettled refugees from the

https://www.nexis.com/research/search/submitViewTagged 10/31703


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CNN.com - Somalis shocked by UN report of al Qaeda activity - Nov. 6, 2003 Page 1 of 3

T A K F fWMRVfYSt

.com. Powered bySomalis shocked by UN report of al QaedaactivityMOGADISHU, Somalia (Reuters) -Shocked by a U.N. report that their country hosted al Qaeda fighters,Somalis said on Thursday they feared the findings might disrupt international attempts to heal more than adecade of anarchy.The report said al Qaeda fighters trained and armed in Somalia organised a suicide attack on anIsraeli-owned hotel in Kenya a year ago and a botched attempt to shoot down an Israeli airlinertaking of f nearby.At least four al Qaeda suspects remain in S omalia, where additional w eapons may have beenimported for the purpose of carrying ou t further attacks in east Africa, according to a draft of thereport obtained by Reuters on Tuesday.Somalis, long weary of the fighting betw een rival warlords, said they feared the report's revelationsof suspected activity by Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden's followers w ould undermine efforts toreverse the country's long collapse."Before, I thought there was only a little such activity going on, but this huge ac tivity in our countryis a danger to our innocent people," said Said Duale, manager of the Wireless AfricanCommunication Company. "This kind of activity will prevent Som alia getting back to towards lawand order."Some Somali faction leaders have pointed to the danger of militant activity as a reason for increasedinternational efforts to restore central authority.Rival warlords have carved Somalia into a patchwork of fiefdoms since the overthrow of formermilitary ruler Siad Barre in 1991, defying 14 peace in itiatives aimed at piecing the coun try of sevenmillion back together.The latest attempt to unify Somalia's divisions has run into problems in Ke nya in recent weeks, withthe withdrawal of key faction leaders after more than a year of negotiations.Exploiting Som aliaThe United States has warned that al Qaeda fighters seeking a new refuge after being chased out of

http://cnn.worldnew s.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=ll%2F2 0%2 F... 11/10/2003


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CNN.com - AP: Americans seek warlords' help in hunt for terrorists in Somalia - Nov.6,... Page 1 of 3

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.corn (E^PRiNTTHISPowered byAP: Americans seek warlords1 help in hunt forterrorists in SomaliaMOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) In lawless Mo gadishu, where U.S.officials fear al-Qaida members ar eplotting their next attack, the word is out: catch a terrorist, collect rewards as high as $5 million.At least four al-Qaida terrorist suspects are in Somalia, Kenyan officials and U.N.experts say,andAm ericans are trying to capture them in a country that has been without an effective centralgovernment for more than a decade, officials and gunmen told The A ssociated Press.U.S. agents are working through proxies and hav e recruited a network of informa nts who keep an eyeout for suspected terrorists, according to a We stern security official and several prominent Somalis,all speaking on condition of anonymity.So far, those efforts are known to have netted at least one al-Qaida suspect Suleiman AbdallaSalim Hemed, who's accused of playing a role in the 1998 U.S.Embassy bom bings in Africa ~ bu trumors abound of gunmen kidnapping Arabs an d turning them over to U.S. agents.A Somali warlord, M ohamm ed Dheere, coordinated the March capture of Hemed at the behest ofU.S. officials, gunmen familiar with the operation told AP, speaking p rivately for fear of reprisals.Most Somalis believe D heere was generously rewarded.Kenya's national security minister, Chris Murungaru, claimed credit for Hemed's capture and said hewas turned over to U.S.authorities, who have refused to comment.But the gunmen said U.S.agents regularly visit Dheere at his Mogadishu home and an AP reportersaw two of the alleged agents, dressed in regular clothing, moving through Mogadishu using a teamof bodyguards belonging to Bashir Rageh, a wealthy businessman closely associated with Dheere.After Hem ed's capture, Dheere questioned Hem ed's friends for hours, asking about other suspectedterrorists. When shown photos from the FBI's M ost Wanted Terrorists W eb site, Hemed's friends saidDheere used the same photos w hen he questioned them. They said they didn't recognize any of themen in the photos.One of the most-wanted al-Qaida suspects, Fazul Abdu llah Moham med, is thought to be hiding inSomalia, a senior Kenyan security official told AP on Wednesday.

http://cnn.worldnews.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&expire=12%2F06%2F... 11/10/2003


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.EXIS-NEXIS View Printable Page Page 1 of 3

LexisNexisCopyright 2000 Star TribuneStar Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

November 19, 2000, Sunday, M etro EditionSECTION: NEW S; Pg. 3ALENGTH: 1079 wordsHEADLINE: THE MONEY FLOW;Money-transfer businesses answer a need, owners sayBYLINE: Joy Powell; Dee DePass; Staff WritersBODY:Five years ago, Garad Nor worried about getting money from Minnesota to his mother in Kenya, whereshe lived in a refugee camp for Somalis who had fled civil w ar.

Nor worked at a food-processing plant in Marshall. When his mother and other relatives called andasked for money, he mailed a money order to a Canadian friend, who routed the money to East Africa.It took at least five days, but Nor's money eventually reached his mother at the camp and his otherrelatives in Somalia, where the central government and banking system had collapsed in 1991.Nor said he figured there had to be a faster, more reliable way to get money to his relatives. So hebecame a pioneer in the Somali money-transfer business, first in Marshall, where he operated out of hisapartment. Later, he moved to Minneapolis to manage the local office of a money-transfer company

with offices around the world.Minnesota now has at least eight Som ali-run mone y-transfer businesses that help imm igrants wiremillions of dollars to Somalis in East Africa. Seven of the businesses are in Minneapolis.The flow of money has drawn the attention of law enforcement officials, who are investigatingwhether some of the money was used to fund the Somali civil war and possibly terrorism. Nor and othermanagers of the transfer companies said they w ouldn't knowingly handle money bound for warlords ormilitias and have no idea how money raised here reaches militias.

The reason for the m oney-transfer businesses, Nor said, is to help people.In the beginning, he said, he collected $3,000 from his co-workers at Heartland Foods and had itwired to East Africa by Norwest Bank, which is now W ells Fargo & C o. He worked with merchants inKenya who helped deliver the money within hours, he said. Other Somali money-transfer businessesoperate much the same way.Early on, Nor learned that the U.S. governm ent was scrutinizing his activities. Six mo nths after hestarted the business, IRS agents showed up at the apartment he shared w ith his wife and baby, he said.They asked Nor w here he got the money.

https://www.nexis.com/research/search/submitViewTagged 10/31/03


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!EXIS-NEXIS View Printable Page Page 1 of 3

LexisNexisCopyright 2002 Star TribuneStar Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

August 28, 2002, Wednesday, Metro EditionSECTION: NEWS; Pg. IBLENGTH: 756 wordsHEADLINE: Lifting of sanctions brings relief;The Somali-born owners of two money-wiring firms have their names cleared.BYLINE: Kavita Kumar; Staff WriterBODY:Garad Nor was in the United Arab Emirates when he saw his name on CNN among those of 62individuals and organizations that the U.S. government said helped finance Osama bin Laden's terroristnetwork.

The Minneapolis resident said he was frightened but knew he had to return to his adopted country toclear his name.Nor had proclaimed his innocence for more than nine months, and Tuesday his money-wiring firm,Aaran Money Wire Service Inc., was taken off the U.N. sanctions list of entities believed to be linked toterrorism.So was Global Service International Inc., the Minneapolis firm owned by Abdullahi Farah.The U.S. Treasury Department unfroze their assets, including about $500,000 in personal and

business bank accounts, most of which belongs to and will be returned to their clients."I am glad," Nor said."I love this country," he said Tuesday as he sat next to his 7-year-old daughter, Ayan. "That's why Icame here _ to get a job and raise my f a m i l y . . . . The system worked," said Nor who is also known asGarad Jama.But he and Farah, both Somali-born and naturalized U.S. citizens, have not received an apology or anacknowledgment of wrongdoing from the U.S. government, said John Lundquist, their attorney.Although Farah and Nor said they are not sure they want an apology, Omar Jamal, executive directorof the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, was more definitive."I think the government ought to apologize. I personally experienced the fear they caused," he said,referring to panic an d concern among Somalis in the Twin Cities after raids on the businesses, known ashawalas, which they use to wire money to impoverished relatives in the Horn of Africa.But Farah said: "Wedon't have any government anger because we know what happened on

https://www.nexis.com/research/search/submitViewTagged 10/31 /03


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PO-885: Treasury SecretaryPaul O'Neill Rem arks On New Terrorist Financing Designati... Page 1 of 1

P R E S S ROOM

FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

December 20, 2001PO-885TREASURY SECRETARY PAUL O'NEILL

REMARKS ON NEW TERRORIST FINANCING DESIGNATIONS

Today, we are blocking the assets of a terrorist organization, UTN, and three of itsdirectors, because they finance terrorism. But they don't threaten freedom with onlytheir money. UTN and its directors provided more than money to al Qaida, theyprovided knowledge of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.UTN's founder was the former chief designer an d director of an atomic reactor inPakistan. He was joined in UTN by a number of other prominent Pakistaniscientists, retired military officers, and industrialists. On a number of occasions,UTN delegations traveled to Afghanistan, where UTN directors met with Usama binLaden and al-Qaida leaders and discussed nuclear, chemical, and biologicalweapons. Even after September 11th, UTN representatives sought to provide binLaden and Taliban with still more devastating weapons of mass destruction.By blocking their assets today, we aren't just freezing the money in their bankaccounts. More importantly than what we catch in their accounts, we disrupt thepipelines they use to move money and to communicate. For example, last month,we blocked the assets of the Holy Land Foundation, because they raise money forthe Hamas terrorist organization. Holy Land raised $13 million in the United Stateslast year.We also closed down the U.S. and overseas operations of a major financial network- al-Barakaat, from which al Qaida terrorists profited. We estimate that $25 millionwas skimmed from the Barakaat network of companies each year, and re-directedtoward terrorist operations.We are putting the world on alert that these terrorists must not have access tofinances anywhere. And allies around the world are eagerly joining our effort.For example, Canada has blocked the assets of ail terrorists listed by the U.S. andUN , and has led G-20 efforts to adopt an action plan to combat terrorist financing.The United Arab Emirates took coordinated action with U.S. against Al-Barakaat,raiding offices in the UAE and blocking their assets.Da y by day and week by week we are building a wall between global terrorists andthe world financial system they rely on. This is a long fight. We will work with ourallies everywhere, keeping after this effort until there is no place on earth whereterrorists can hide their money.

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/po885.htm?SEARCH.X=39\&SEARCH.Y=10 12/23/2003


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PO-770: SecretaryO'Neill - Statementon Executive Order on TerroristFinancing Page 1 of 2

P R E S S R O O M

FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRSNovember?, 2001PO-770

STATEMENT BY TREASURY SECRETA RY PAUL O'NEILL

The President signed the Executive Order on Terrorist Financing on September 23.His instruction to the Treasury Department was straight-forward: chair a committeeof ail agencies with potential information about terrorist financing; then take thatshared intelligence and make it actionable. That is something new in Washingtonand I am here to tell you that it is working.This morning, agents from the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control, theCustoms Service, and the IRS shut down 8 al Barakaat offices in the United States,and took possession of evidence that will be investigated for further leads in theterrorist money trail. In addition, we used authority in the newly-enacted anti-terrorism legislation to block assets and seize evidence at two al Barakaat outlets inVirginia. Millions of dollars have moved through these US offices of al Barakaat.This organization is now exposed for what it is - a pariah in the civilized world. USbusinesses and individuals are now forewarned,and prohibited from doingbusiness with this company.Since the issuance of the Executive Order, the United Slates and our coalitionpartners have issued blocking order on the assets and trade of 88 individuals andorganizations who support terrorism. Today we add sixty-two (62) names to that list.But more important than the number is the character of today's designees,

Al Taqwa and al-Barakaat are financiers of terror. The President's September 23Order made plain that those who underwrite violence bear equal culpability to thosewho perpetrate it. Feigned indifference, willful blindness, and the appearance ofnormalcy and status in the world of business or commerce will no longer providecover or safe harbor -here or abroad.The al Taqwa group has long acted as financial advisers to al Qaeda, with offices inSwitzerland, Lichenstein, Italy and the Caribbean. The al Barakaat companies arethe money movers, the quartermasters of terror. At core, it is a hawalaconglomerate operating in 40 countries around the world with business ventures intelecommunications, construction, and currency exchange. They are a principalsource of funding, intelligence and money transfers for bin Laden.And they operate office even here in the US. At least they did until today.Our allies around the world are joining us in cutting al Barakaat and al Taqwa out ofthe world financial system. Dubai, UAE is the home base of al Barakaat. Today theUAE blocked the accounts of al Barakaat, paralyzing the nerve center of theoperation.And that is only one example of the nations around the world who have eagerlyjoined this effort to separate terrorists from the world financial system. To date, 112nations have blocking orders in force on the names we'd previously added to thislist. Together, the civilized governments of the world have already blocked morethan $43 million in terrorist assets.

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/po770.htm 12/24/2003


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esident Announces Crackdownon Terrorist FinancialNetwork Page 1 of 2

Click to PrintthisPresidentGeorge W. Bush

For Immediate ReleaseOff ice of the Press SecretaryNovember 7, 2001

President Announces Crackdown on Terrorist Financial NetworkRemarks by the President In Announcement on Financial Aspects of TerrorismFinancial Crime Enforcement NetworkVienna, Virginia Fact Sheet

1:52 P.M. ESTTH E PRESIDENT: Th e United States is pressing t he war against terror on every front. From th e mountains ofAfghanis tan to t he bank accounts of terrorist organizations. Th e f i rs t strike i n t he war against terror targeted th eter ror is ts ' financial support. We put the world's financial institutions on notice: i f you do business with terrorists, ifyo u support them or sponsor them, yo u will not do business with th e United States of America.Today, we are taking another step in our fight against evil. W e are setting down tw o major elements of theterrorists international financial network, both at home and abroad. Ours is not a war just of soldiers andaircraft. It's a war fought with diplomacy, by the investigations of law enforcement, by gathering intelligence an dby cutting of f th e terrorists' money.I want to thank Secretary Paul O'Neill for being here today and for being the leader of this fine organization. Iwant to thank the Director, Jim Sloan, as well. You're doing some imaginative work here at the Financial CrimesEnforcement Network, and I want to thank all the fine Americans who are on the front line of our war, the peoplewh o work here.I want to thank Secretary Colin Powell for being here, as well. He's doing a magnificent job of stitching togetheron e of the greatest coalitions ever - a coalition of nations that stands for freedom. And I want to thank ourAttorney General fo r coming - - the man whose job i t is to make sure that any time we find anybody inside ou rcountry wh o will threaten an American, threaten ou r institutions, they will be brought to justice. And that's exactlywhat our nation is doing.Act ing on solid and credible evidence, the Treasury Department of the United States today blocked the U.S.asse ts of 62 individuals andorganizations connected with two terror-supporting financial networks - the Al Taquaand t he A l Barakaat. Their offices have been shut down in four U.S. states. And our G8 partners an d otherfriends, including the United Arab Emirates, have joined us in blocking assets and coordinating enforcementaction.Al Taqua i s an association of offshore banks and financial management firms that have helped al Qaeda sh i f tmoney around the world. Al Barakaat is a group of money wiring and communication companies owned by afr iend an d supporter of Osama bin Laden. Al Taqua and Al Barakaat raise funds for al Qaeda; they manage,invest and distribute those funds. They provide terrorist supporters with Internet service, secure telephonecommunications and other ways of sending messages and sharing information. They even arrange for theshipment of weapons.They present themselves as legitimate businesses. But they skim money from every transaction, for the benefitof terrorist organizations. They enable th e proceeds of crime in one country to be transferred to pay for terroristacts in another.Th e entry point fo r these networks may be a small storefront operation -- but follow th e network to i ts center andyo u discover wealthy banks and sophisticated technology, all at the service of mass murderers. By shutting thesenetworks down, we disrupt th e murderers' work. Today's action interrupts al Qaeda's communications; it blocks

http://ww w.whitehouse.gov/new s/releases/2001/! l/print/20011107-4.html 12/24/2003


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T E R R O R I S T FINANCES"W e put the world's financial institutions on notice: if you do business withterrorists, if you support them or sponsor them, yo u will not do business with the UnitedStates of America."

-President George W . Bush, 11/7/01Terrorists need m oney to carry out their evil deeds. The President's first strike in the waragainst terror was not with a gun or a missile - the President's first strike waswith his pen as hetook action to freeze terrorist finances and disrupt their pipelines for raising and moving moneyin the future.The world's financial institutions have been put on notice - if you support, sponsor, or dobusiness with terrorists, you will not do business with the United S tates. Denying terroristsaccess to funds is a very real success in the war on terrorism. S ince S eptember 11, the UnitedStates and its allies in the war on terrorism have been winning the war on the financial front:* President Bush launched the first offensive in the war on terrorism on September 23 bysigning an E xecutive Order freezing the U.S.-based assets of those individuals andorganizations involved with terrorism.* 196 countries and jurisdictions have expressed their support for the financial war on terror.* 142 countries have issued orders freezing terrorist assets, and others have requested U.S.help in improving their legal and regulatory systems so they can more effectively blockterrorist funds.* The assets of at least 153 known terrorists, terrorist organizations, and terrorist financialcenters have now been frozen in the U.S. financial system.* Since September 11, the U.S. has blocked more than $33 million in assets of terroristorganizations. Other nations have also blocked another $33 million.* On November 7, the U.S. and its allies closed down operations of two major financialnetworks - al-Barakaat and al-Taqwa - both of which were used by al-Qaeda and OsamaBin Laden as sources of income and mechanisms to transfer funds.* On December 4, President Bush froze the assets of a U.S.-based foundation - The Holy

Land Foundation for Relief and Development - that has been funneling money to theterrorist organization Hamas.* The U.S. government created three new organizations - the F oreign T errorist A ssetTracking C enter (FTA T), Operation Green Quest and the Terrorist F inancing Task F orce.These ne w organizations will help facilitate information sharing between intelligence and lawenforcement agencies and encourage other countries to identify, disrupt, and defeat terroristfinancing networks.

THE W A R ON TERRORISM - THE FIRST 100 DAYS9

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