RP asked to investigate 3 suspected al-Qaeda supporters

The United States has asked the Philippine government to check for offices or financial assets belonging to three individuals suspected of supporting or financing terrorism and to subsequently freeze them should any be found.

In separate letters to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Rafael Buenaventura, Washington urged the Philippines to investigate whether suspected al-Qaeda supporters Hassan Abdullah Hersi Al-Turki, Aqeel Abdulaziz Al-Aqil, and Hizbollah member Assad Amad Barakat may have set up businesses or funneled assets in the Philippines.

Al-Turki, also known as Hassan Turki, is a faction leader of the Somalian terrorist organization called Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya (AIAI).

He was identified by the International Crisis Group (ICG), an independent non-profit organization with headquarters in Brussels, as a prominent figure in AIAI. He was also a former military commander in lower Jibba.

A paper prepared by the ICG stated that al-Qaeda’s having had contact with members of AIAI is "unquestionable." It also noted that there is evidence that "al-Qaeda had ties with the movement in Luuq from 1991 to 1996 and again in the lower Jibba region in 1997 as al-Qaeda was preparing to attack the US Embassy in Nairobi."

Al-Aqil, on other hand, is a founder and long-time leader of the Saudi Arabia-based Al Haramain Islamic Foundation (AHF) which represents itself as a private, charitable and educational organization dedicated to promoting Islamic teaching throughout the world.

AHF is one of the principal Islamic non-government organizations active throughout the world. Funding generally comes from grants from other countries, while individual Muslim-owned business entities around the world are sources for donations.

Under Al-Aqil’s leadership, numerous Haramain field offices and representatives operating throughout Africa, Asia and Europe have provided financial and logistical support to the al-Qaeda network and other terrorist organizations, the US government said.

Some of these terrorist organizations include the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jemaah Islamiyah, Al-Ittihad Al-Islamiya, Lashkar E-Taibah and Hamas — all of which have received funds from AHF, its branches or local intermediaries.

Information available to the US government indicates that Barakat is considered one of the most prominent and influential Hizbollah officials in South America’s tri-border area.

According to the US government, Barakat supports Hizbollah operations in Paraguay. A video of Hizbollah military operations from a personal computer in a store of one of Barakat’s businesses was recovered after a search.

Barakat has allegedly used strong-arm tactics and coercive measures to annually raise large sums of money, which were sent to Hizbollah in Lebanon and Iran.

Electronics wholesale store Casa Apollo and Barakat Import Export were reportedly used by Barakat as front companies for Hizbollah activities and cells. Casa Apollo was used to transfer information to and from Hizbollah operatives while Barakat Import Export raised money for Hizbollah in Lebanon by mortgaging the company in order to secure a fraudulent loan from a bank.