On Tuesday, July 24, 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force raided two charitable organization offices in Dearborn, Michigan on suspicion of having financially supported the terrorist group Hezbollah. Prompting the raids, the US Treasury Department claims an Iranian based organization in Lebanon, the Martyrs Foundation, was using the organizations in Michigan as front companies for financial support. The Martyrs Foundation is suspected of having links to Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as well as other terrorist groups.
As southeast Michigan represents the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US, the exposed financial links to Hezbollah could cause the US government to enhance investigations in the area. Additionally, targeting the financial infrastructure of terrorist groups will continue to be a priority for US anti-terrorism law enforcement personnel, as it has proven successful in mitigating the level of funding directed to terrorist groups.
Front Organizations Funding Terror
The two foundations that were raided, the Goodwill Charitable Organization (GCO) of Dearborn and Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization, are suspected of having links to the Martyrs Foundation, according to the US Treasury Department. The Martyrs Foundation is an organization that serves as a conduit for Iran to fund terrorist organizations including Hezbollah and the PIJ. Based in Lebanon, the Martyrs Foundation is operated by members of terror groups, specifically Hezbollah.
Allegedly, GCO sends significant amounts of money to the Iranian foundation and reports directly to its leadership. Additionally, Hezbollah has maintained steady contact with GCO representatives that have lead to possible recruitment into the terrorist group. The US government claims that the GCO funds directly contributed to Hezbollah’s war against Israeli forces last summer.
The US government has also targeted Qasem Aliq and Ahmad al-Shami, two individuals believed to be in Lebanon who worked for the Martyrs Foundation. Aliq once directed the foundation’s branch in Lebanon and now heads Jihad al Bina, a construction company in Lebanon that was allegedly formed by Hezbollah. According to the US, GCO representatives have frequently donated money to al-Shami, who also works for the Martyrs Foundation.
Freezing Funds
The Treasury Department has frozen any bank accounts linked to the GCO, however the FBI has allowed accounts associated with Al-Mabarrat Charitable Organization to remain open. Additionally, GCO has now been placed on the “Specially Designated Nationals” list, a database of people and organizations considered to be operating in connection to banned groups, including terrorists or drug traffickers.
In 2006, the Treasury Department also took the following actions to undermine an Iranian bank and US branches of financial operations supporting Hezbollah.
• In September of 2006, the US government initiated a plan to cut off access to the US financial markets for Bank Saderat, one of Iran’s largest state owned banks. The US government claimed that Bank Saderat had transferred money to Hezbollah, Hamas and the PIJ.
• In August 2006, the US government froze assets in US jurisdiction for another front charity for Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance Support Organization, under US Executive Order 13224.
• In March 2006, the US Treasury Department took action against the Lebanese Media Group and its subsidiaries, Al-Manar television and Al-Nour radio. The two media subsidiaries raised funds for Hezbollah by running advertisements on their broadcasts. Additionally, Al-Manar has aired Hezbollah propaganda videos glorifying suicide-bombing operations. Under Executive Order 13224, the US Treasury Department designated the three media organizations as Specially Designated Global entities. As a result, all assets and property in the names of these organizations under US jurisdiction were frozen.
Signaling a Trend
The US Treasury Department’s action against the two charities in Michigan highlights a successful method of combating terrorist groups abroad. As the US government identifies financial links to terror groups abroad, the resulting suspension of financial transactions in the US could have a significant impact on the terror groups’ long term fundraising capabilities.
