SpursWoman
10-14-2004, 11:31 PM
UK Freezes Terror Groups' Assets (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/10/14/britain.terror.ap/index.html)
LONDON, England (AP) -- The Bank of England is ordering a freeze on any assets belonging to a terrorist group that claimed responsibility for kidnapping and beheading two Americans and one Briton in Iraq, Treasury chief Gordon Brown said.
Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons Thursday that he had instructed the bank to direct all financial institutions in Britain to freeze any assets of the Jama'at Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad group -- known as Tawhid and Jihad.
Led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the group said it abducted American engineers Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley and British engineer Kenneth Bigley last month. All three were beheaded.
"We must do all in our power to ensure there is no hiding place for terrorists and no hiding place for those who finance terrorism," said Brown, whose official title is Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The asset freeze makes it a criminal offense for any financial institution to hold or facilitate funds held by the group.
It was unclear whether Tawhid and Jihad has any assets in British accounts. Brown's order will prompt companies to check whether they hold money belonging to the group, a Treasury spokesman said.
"This is the first action by a country on this group and we expect other partners to follow suit," the spokesman said, adding that the United Nations could take action against Tawhid and Jihad.
Britain did not move to freeze the group's assets earlier because "the legislation requires a high standard of evidence to be there before the Chancellor can instruct action to be taken," the spokesman said.
Brown said his decision followed meetings with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He said Tawhid and Jihad had admitted involvement in the murder of two other hostages and had committed terrorist attacks across Iraq.
Bigley, Armstrong and Hensley were kidnapped from their homes in Baghdad on September 16. The Americans were killed a few days later and Bigley's execution was confirmed on October 10.
Tawhid and Jihad has been at the forefront of the opposition to U.S.-led forces in Iraq and has claimed responsibility for attacks on American troops, Iraqi officials and police, as well as the seizing and killing of foreigners.
Al-Zarqawi's group beheaded South Korean translator Kim Sun-il, 33, in June and American businessman Nicholas Berg, who was kidnapped in April.
Al-Zarqawi's followers are also suspected of killing two Bulgarian truck drivers.
LONDON, England (AP) -- The Bank of England is ordering a freeze on any assets belonging to a terrorist group that claimed responsibility for kidnapping and beheading two Americans and one Briton in Iraq, Treasury chief Gordon Brown said.
Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons Thursday that he had instructed the bank to direct all financial institutions in Britain to freeze any assets of the Jama'at Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad group -- known as Tawhid and Jihad.
Led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the group said it abducted American engineers Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley and British engineer Kenneth Bigley last month. All three were beheaded.
"We must do all in our power to ensure there is no hiding place for terrorists and no hiding place for those who finance terrorism," said Brown, whose official title is Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The asset freeze makes it a criminal offense for any financial institution to hold or facilitate funds held by the group.
It was unclear whether Tawhid and Jihad has any assets in British accounts. Brown's order will prompt companies to check whether they hold money belonging to the group, a Treasury spokesman said.
"This is the first action by a country on this group and we expect other partners to follow suit," the spokesman said, adding that the United Nations could take action against Tawhid and Jihad.
Britain did not move to freeze the group's assets earlier because "the legislation requires a high standard of evidence to be there before the Chancellor can instruct action to be taken," the spokesman said.
Brown said his decision followed meetings with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He said Tawhid and Jihad had admitted involvement in the murder of two other hostages and had committed terrorist attacks across Iraq.
Bigley, Armstrong and Hensley were kidnapped from their homes in Baghdad on September 16. The Americans were killed a few days later and Bigley's execution was confirmed on October 10.
Tawhid and Jihad has been at the forefront of the opposition to U.S.-led forces in Iraq and has claimed responsibility for attacks on American troops, Iraqi officials and police, as well as the seizing and killing of foreigners.
Al-Zarqawi's group beheaded South Korean translator Kim Sun-il, 33, in June and American businessman Nicholas Berg, who was kidnapped in April.
Al-Zarqawi's followers are also suspected of killing two Bulgarian truck drivers.