UNITED NATIONS, Dec 22: The United States, Britain and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday asked the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on two Saudi dissidents for allegedly providing material support to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

They jointly accused the British-based Saudi dissidents Saad Al Faqih and Adel Abdul Jalil Batterjee, who was instrumental in founding the Benevolence International Foundation, an Islamic charity that the United States had previously deemed a global terrorist group for allegedly providing financial and material support to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Mr Al Faqih reportedly advocates replacing the Saudi monarchy with a popularly elected government and heads the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia in London. He claimed in May that he was the real target when the Saudi government accused British civilians and diplomats of involvement in bombings four years ago.

Mr Batterjee founded the precursor to the Benevolence International Foundation in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the late 1980s, providing support to Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who is already on the UN sanctions list.

In 1993, on Batterjee incorporated the foundation in the United States where it provided financial support to fighters world wide, including members of Al Qaeda, a US Treasury Department statement said, adding that this was confirmed at one point by Osama.