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UN adds Saudi charity branches to al-Qaeda list
United Nations, Jan 30: The United Nations said it was adding four branches of an Islamic charity to its list of groups whose assets are to be blocked due to suspected ties to Osama bin Laden or his al-Qaeda network.
United Nations, Jan 30: The United Nations said it was adding four branches of an Islamic charity to its list of groups whose assets are to be blocked due to suspected ties to Osama bin Laden or his al-Qaeda network.
Acting at the request of the United States and Saudi Arabia, the world body yesterday said local branches of the Saudi charity al-Haramain Islamic Foundation in Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan were being added to its global asset-freeze list after Washington put them on a parallel US list last week.
The Saudi-based charity was first put on the UN list in March 2002. Last month, the United Nations added affiliates of the foundation based in Bosnia and Liechtenstein.
The Saudi government ordered al-Haramain, one of the nation's largest charities, to close all of its overseas branch offices in 2003.
Monitoring by the United States and Saudi Arabia showed the offices or their officials continued to operate or made plans to get around the move, US officials told a January 22 news conference in Washington.
Al-Haramain, which has provided aid to Muslims around the world for a decade, has always mixed its relief work with a programme to promote Saudi Arabia's austere Wahhabi Islam.
Foundation officials have said the group raises about 53 million dollars a year.
The UN list is maintained by a UN Security Council committee and has more than 300 names of businesses, individuals and organizations.
Its goal is to deprive suspected extremists of the money and other resources they need to carry out attacks.
Putting groups and individuals on the list obliges the United Nations' 191 member nations to freeze their funds and other assets and block their movement. Bureau Report
The Saudi-based charity was first put on the UN list in March 2002. Last month, the United Nations added affiliates of the foundation based in Bosnia and Liechtenstein.
The Saudi government ordered al-Haramain, one of the nation's largest charities, to close all of its overseas branch offices in 2003.
Monitoring by the United States and Saudi Arabia showed the offices or their officials continued to operate or made plans to get around the move, US officials told a January 22 news conference in Washington.
Al-Haramain, which has provided aid to Muslims around the world for a decade, has always mixed its relief work with a programme to promote Saudi Arabia's austere Wahhabi Islam.
Foundation officials have said the group raises about 53 million dollars a year.
The UN list is maintained by a UN Security Council committee and has more than 300 names of businesses, individuals and organizations.
Its goal is to deprive suspected extremists of the money and other resources they need to carry out attacks.
Putting groups and individuals on the list obliges the United Nations' 191 member nations to freeze their funds and other assets and block their movement. Bureau Report