TA-ORGANIZATIONS: Islamic African Relief Agency Accused of Funding Terrorism

The U.S.Treasury Department has frozen all U.S. bank accounts of an Islamic relief agency today. The organization known as Islamic African Relief Agency has it's headquarters in Khartoum, Sudan, but also maintains an office in Missouri. The group is accused of directly funding Osama bin Laden as well as funneling money to the Palestinian group Hamas.





FBI officials at the Missouri branch were seen carrying out computers and boxes, but refused to comment on their activities saying that the case was currently sealed. The organization's [/url=http://www.iara-usa.org/]website[/url] was still up today and greets visitors with pictures of children, and claims to have recently delivered 10 tons of food to the war torn Dufar, Sudan. U.S. citizens are now barred from contributing to this organization.


[edit on 14-10-2004 by dbates]

The Miami Herald site requires registration but The US Treasury Department has a press release on it:

Treasury Designates Global Network, Senior Officials of IARA for Supporting bin Laden, Others
IARA Support for Usama bin Laden (UBL), al Qaida and the Taliban

IARA is identified as a non-governmental organization (NGO) formerly affiliated with Maktab Al-Khidamat (MK), which was co-founded and financed by UBL and is the precursor organization of al Qaida.

Information available to the U.S. indicates that international offices of IARA provided direct financial support for UBL. IARA, MK and UBL commingled funds and cooperated closely in the raising and expenditure of funds. IARA engaged in a joint program with an institute controlled by UBL that was involved in providing assistance to Taliban fighters.

In 2000, one of IARA's Afghanistan leaders accompanied the Afghanistan MK leader on a fundraising trip to Sudan and other locations in the Middle East during which $5 million was raised for MK activities.

Information available to the U.S. shows that the overseas branches IARA provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to UBL in 1999. In 1997, there was an individual who acted as a liaison between UBL and terrorist-related NGOs, distributing funds from UBL to MK, IARA and others. Later that year, IARA and MK reportedly provided financial support for a group of Arab terrorists planning to travel to Saudi Arabia to conduct unspecified operations against U.S. military personnel.

With this much money involved, I'm surprised this took so long to come out.