Posted on 06/16/2003 6:56:39 AM PDT by veronica
The assets of an Islamic charity foundation with alleged links to the militant Palestinian group Hamas would be frozen, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
Mr Downer said the government had added the al-Aqsa Foundation to a list of organisations whose assets could be frozen because of suspected links to terror groups.
"As a consequence of this listing it is now a criminal offence for persons who hold assets that are owned or controlled by the al-Aqsa Foundation to use or deal with those assets," he said.
"It is also a criminal offence for persons to make assets available to the al-Aqsa Foundation.
"The penalty for these offences is five years' imprisonment."
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The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, has been linked to recent suicide bombings in Israel.
It was unclear whether the organisation had any assets in Australia.
Mr Downer said anyone who suspected they may hold assets of groups named on the counter-terror list must contact the Australian Federal Police.
The al-Aqsa Foundation's listing follows similar action in the United States last month.
Germany banned the charity last August, accusing it of links to Hamas and of supporting the families of suicide bombers in Israel.
Authorities in the Netherlands and Denmark have also taken action against the group.
"As a consequence of this listing it is now a criminal offence for persons who hold assets that are owned or controlled by the al-Aqsa Foundation to use or deal with those assets," he said.
"It is also a criminal offence for persons to make assets available to the al-Aqsa Foundation.
"Mr Downer said anyone who suspected they may hold assets of groups named on the counter-terror list must contact the Australian Federal Police.
"The penalty for these offences is five years' imprisonment."
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