Author: Brian Ross
Publication: ABC News
Date: September 11, 2007
URL: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/09/us-saudis-still.html
Despite six years of promises, U.S. officials
say Saudi Arabia continues to look the other way at wealthy individuals identified
as sending millions of dollars to al Qaeda.
"If I could somehow snap my fingers and
cut off the funding from one country, it would be Saudi Arabia," Stuart
Levey, the under secretary of the Treasury in charge of tracking terror financing,
told ABC News.
Despite some efforts as a U.S. ally in the
war on terror, Levey says Saudi Arabia has dropped the ball. Not one person
identified by the United States and the United Nations as a terror financier
has been prosecuted by the Saudis, Levey says.
"When the evidence is clear that these
individuals have funded terrorist organizations, and knowingly done so, then
that should be prosecuted and treated as real terrorism because it is,"
Levey says.
Among those on the donor list, according to
U.S. officials, is Yasin al Qadi, a wealthy businessman named on both the
U.S. and U.N. lists of al Qaeda financiers one month after the 9/11 attacks.
Al Qadi, who has repeatedly denied the allegations,
remains free, still a prominent figure in Saudi Arabia.
Al Qadi's London-based attorney, Guy Martin
of Carter-Ruck law firm, said the United States has never produced any evidence
in support of the allegations against his client.
"He hasn't been tried, let alone convicted,
anywhere in any jurisdiction in the world," said Martin. "While
allegations have been made, there have been no formal criminal proceedings."
"This is a financial Guantanamo to my
client who is the victim of a gross and on-going miscarriage of justice,"
said Martin. "This is a Kafka situation where people are put on this
list with no due process."
While the Saudi embassy had no comment regarding
Levey's specific allegations, a spokesman did note that after the Sept. 11
attacks, the country took prompt action and "required Saudi banks to
identify and freeze all assets relating to terrorist suspects and entities
per the list issued by the United States government." The statement went
on to say that "Saudi banks have complied with the freeze requirements
and have initiated investigations of transactions that suspects linked to
Al Qaeda may have undertaken in the past."
U.S. officials say they are equally frustrated
with what they call the empty promises of Pakistan to go after al Qaeda's
sanctuaries in their country.
Pakistan says it is willing to take action
if the U.S. provides details.
"If they had specific information, they
should share it with us, and we would go after them," Pakistani Ambassador
to the U.N. Munir Akram told ABC News.
When asked whether the U.S. can trust his
country, Ambassador Akram said, "Well, if the U.S. doesn't trust Pakistan,
how can Pakistan be an ally of the U.S.?"
A question echoed by many in the U.S.
With fresh funds and a safe haven, al Qaeda
has been able to recruit and train a new class of terrorists as well as send
out a stream of new propaganda tapes.
Just today, al Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden
was seen on a second video this week, introducing the video will of one of
the 9/11 hijackers.
"And it remains for us to do our part,"
bin Laden said as he held up 9/11 hijacker Waleed al Shehri's life as an example.
"So I tell every young man among the youth of Islam: it is your duty
to join the caravan until the sufficiency is complete and the march to aid
the High and Omnipotent continues."
U.S. officials fear there are more like al
Shehri heeding bin Laden's call and coming now from Pakistan.
"The consequence is that there is in
effect a sanctuary in the northwest part of Pakistan, just like the sanctuary
that used to exist before we invaded Afghanistan," Richard Clarke, the
former White House counterterrorism official and now ABC News consultant,
said.
Rhonda Schwartz and Maddy Sauer contributed
to this report.
