Free Republic

The United States on Monday took action to financially incapacitate seven Egyptians suspected of providing support to an Egyptian terrorist group that merged with al-Qaida in 2001. The Treasury Department's action means any bank accounts or other financial assets belonging to the seven people found in the United States will be blocked. Americans also are forbidden from doing business with them. The department alleges that the seven individuals have acted on behalf of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group that merged with al-Qaida in 2001. One of the seven, Madhat Mursi Al-Sayyid Umar was an explosive and chemical substances...

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Two Detroit area men suspected of links to Hezbollah sent thousands of dollars to buy military equipment for the group, according to an FBI affidavit. The affidavit, made public Friday, links two government investigations of alleged funding of the group by the men. In the May 2003 affidavit, FBI Special Agent Timothy Waters said that Mohammed Krayem, who spent time in Canada and Michigan, "sent approximately $200,000 (Canadian) to his brother." The money was used to "purchase military equipment from United Nations Protection Forces stationed in southern Lebanon," The Detroit News, in a Sunday story, quoted...

The European Union's anti-fraud unit (OLAF) believes documents Israel provided showing Palestinian Authority financial support for terrorism are authentic, Israeli diplomatic officials said Thursday. The German daily Die Welt reported last week that suspicion is growing that money from PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's office was transferred to terrorist organizations. This means that EU funds were used to help finance terrorism for the first two years of the current violence. The EU budgeted some 10 million euros a month to the PA from the fall of 2000, when the current violence erupted, to the fall of 2002, when questions about usage...

The European Union is providing nearly US$40 million in assistance to the Palestinians for government reforms and emergency economic aid, an EU official said on Saturday. The money will be used to support small and medium-sized businesses hurt by the conflict, judicial reforms and to finance national and local elections that are to be held in 2004. Three years of fighting with Israel have devastated the Palestinian economy. Roadblocks and military travel restrictions that Israel says are needed to stop suicide bombers and other attackers have kept many Palestinians from reaching jobs. In some parts of the West Bank and...