(Middle East Review of International Affairs [MERIA] Journal) - Matthew A. Levitt A few wealthy individuals are able to sponsor much terror. For example, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hasnawi, a Saudi national and Bin Ladin moneyman, sent the September 11 hijackers operational funds and received at least $15,000 in unspent funds before leaving the UAE for Pakistan on September 11. U.S. officials say that Yasin al-Qadi, a prominent Jidda businessman and head of the Muwafaq Foundation, has supported a variety of terrorist groups from al Qaeda to Hamas. According to U.S. court documents, in 1992 al-Qadi provided $27,000 to U.S.-based Hamas leader Muhammad Salah and lent $820,000 to a Hamas front organization in Chicago, the Quranic Literacy Institute (QLI). Based on their connection to Hamas, the U.S. government has frozen the assets of both Salah and QLI. Similarly, U.S. officials maintain that the Muwafaq Foundation is a front organization through which wealthy Saudis send millions of dollars to al Qaeda.
2003-01-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive