Feds Raid Offices of Two Muslim Charities

Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit

[So much for "faith-based" charitable initiatives...]


Federal agents raid offices of two muslim charities

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (PTI)--Offices of America's two largest Muslim
charities have been raided on charges of funding terrorist
activities.

Global Relief Foundation and Benevolence International Foundation
were raided as part of the effort to stop the flow of money to
terrorist groups overseas.

NATO authorities and UN police also searched two offices of the
Global Relief in Yogoslavia, the same day.

A search was conducted Friday at the Benevolence International
Foundation office in Newark.

Both groups are "suspected of financing terrorist activities," said
Treasury spokesman Tony Fratto. The Government also froze the assets
of both groups, as it has in the case of several Islamic charities
since September 11.

Both groups denied involvement in terrorism and insisted their
millions of dollars in contributions are used for aid to poor and
mostly Muslim countries.

Global Relief received more than Dollars five million in donations
last year.

Three people were detained from the Yugoslavia office of Global
Relief and NATO authorities said the group is "allegedly involved in
planning attacks against targets in the USA and Europe."

Last week, Federal agents froze the assets of the Holy Land
Foundation for Relief and Development in Richardson, Texas for
allegedly supporting Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group.

In Friday's raid, agents employed a tactic legalized after September
11 the Patriot Act which allows them to keep the terms of their
search warrants largely secret. (PTI)

 
=================================================================
  NY Transfer News Collective   *   A Service of Blythe Systems 
           Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us          
              339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012             
  http://www.blythe.org                  e-mail: nyt@blythe.org 
=================================================================
 
nytrc-12.17.01-05:19:45-26666