WASHINGTON, Aug 20: Two suspected members of Hamas have been arrested in the United States and charged with supporting a foreign terrorist organization, money laundering and racketeering, US Attorney General John Ashcroft announced on Friday.
The authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect facing the same charges, identified as the deputy chief of the political bureau of Hamas, Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook, who currently resides in Syria.
Mr Ashcroft said the trio allegedly ran a US-based terrorist recruiting and financing cell linked with Hamas. If convicted for racketeering, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
"This cell allegedly financed the activities of a terrorist organization that was murdering innocent victims abroad, including American citizens," Ashcroft told a news conference.
"Our record on terrorist financing is clear: We will hunt down the suppliers of terrorist blood money," he said. "Today, terrorists have lost yet another source of financing and support for their bombs and bloodshed."
Muhammad Hamid Khalil Salah, 51, of Chicago, and Abdelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, 46, of Washington, were arrested on Thursday night. Ashqar reportedly functioned as a conduit of money for Hamas and as an administrator for the terror network while Salah is alleged to have recruited and trained Hamas members.
The three were said to have participated in a 15-year racketeering conspiracy to finance terrorist activities in Israel and the disputed West Bank and Gaza Strip territories, including providing money for the purchase of weapons.
The indictment linked them to murder, kidnapping, money laundering, obstruction of justice, hostage-taking, passport forgery and racketeering but they were not charged with direct participation in the violence.
The authorities have sought the forfeiture of 2.7 million dollars, all funds in four bank accounts and Salah's residence in Bridgeview, Illinois. Mr Ashcroft said that Marzook, 53, at one time lived in Louisiana and near Washington and had operated numerous bank accounts in at least six American cities. He is now thought to live in Damascus.
The trio had joined with 20 co-conspirators to commit the alleged crimes, which date back to 1998, he said. The US State Department named Hamas a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
Congress had made it illegal to provide any material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations, even if the donor intended to fund benign activities, Ashcroft said.
Last month, a banned Muslim charity and seven men were charged in the United States with conspiring to support Hamas, and with tax fraud and money laundering. The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and its chairman, executive director, lead fundraiser and four other officials were charged with 42 counts of illegal financial transactions, conspiracy, money laundering and tax fraud.
An indictment sought 12.4 million dollars from the group and the seven men, which it said was the amount they funnelled to Hamas between 1995 and 2001.
The Texas-based foundation, which had billed itself as the largest US-based Muslim charity until it was banned, was also accused of financial connections with Hamas since its creation in 1989, funding Hamas and families of Hamas martyrs and prisoners, and acting as a fundraiser for Hamas in the United States.
Asked whether Hamas was still capable of raising funds in the United States, Ashcroft said: "The law here is pretty clear, I should say very clear." -AFP