######### August 29, 2002 Contact: Tasia Scolinos

**For Immediate Release (202) 622-2960**

^The\ United\ States\ and\ Italy\ Designate\ Twenty-Five\ New\ Financiers\ of\ Terror^

*"The President's September 23^rd^ Executive Order made plain that those
who underwrite violence bear equal culpability to those who perpetrate
it. Feigned indifference, willful blindness, and the appearance of
normalcy and status in the world of business or commerce will no longer
provide cover or safe harbor -- here or abroad. Today's action makes
clear that we are serious about shutting down any company or
organization that is in the business of supporting terrorism. "*

> *Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill*

Today, in a significant action in our ongoing campaign against
terrorism, our two nations -- the United States and Italy - are blocking
the assets of twenty-five individuals and entities based on their
support for terrorism. This action furthers international efforts to
shut down identified terrorist financing networks using targeted
freezing actions under domestic and international law. In accordance
with relevant United Nations procedures, we are submitting these names
to the United Nations for listing by the UN 1267 Sanctions Committee
because of the connections between these entities and individuals and
Al-Qaida.

Of today's twenty-five designations, all eleven individuals are related
to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat ("GSPC"), a separatist faction
of the "Gruppo Islamico Armato (GIA)." The GSPC, an Algerian-based
terrorist organization that continues to operate in North Africa, Spain
and Italy, is a lethal terrorist group whose members support and finance
terrorism around the globe. The United States designated both the GSPC
and the GIA on September 24, 2001, and the United Nations placed them
both on the list of terrorist entities linked to Al-Qaida on October 8,
2001.

Fourteen of the twenty-five are entities that are owned or controlled by
either Ahmed Idris Nasreddin or Youssef Nada, both of whom have been
previously designated as supporters of terrorism by the United States
and the international community under U.N. Security Council Resolutions
1267, 1333 and 1390. These entities are part of an extensive financial
network providing support to Al-Qaida and other terrorist related
organizations.

This designation of additional corporate holdings will further choke the
flow of funds that facilitate the financing of terrorism by disrupting
the sources of their funding through their financial network.

The simultaneous blocking of the assets of these individuals and
entities by Italy and the United States demonstrates the international
commitment to choke off the sources of financing for terrorist acts.
This particular designation is also unique in that it is the direct
result of the collaborative and cooperative efforts of not just two, but
four nations - the United States, Italy, the Bahamas, and Luxembourg -
working together toward a common purpose. All four of those nations
provided financial information, investigative assistance, or key
documents or support -- which allowed us to make the case necessary for
today's designation.

Since September 11th, the United States and other countries have frozen
more than \$112 million in terrorist-related assets. As a result of our
efforts -- including today's action - 234 individuals and entities are
currently designated as financiers of terror.

[Information About the New Designations]{.underline}

I. Individuals Linked to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat

Italy and the United States have concluded that each of these eleven
individuals are related to the Salafist Group for Call and Combat
("GSPC"), which has supported Al-Qaida activities. They are implicated
in preparing or organizing terrorist acts in the following specific
ways:

1\. **[Adel Ben Soltane]{.underline}**

Ben Soltane, a known member of the GSPC, has been convicted for criminal
conspiracy on the following counts: trafficking in arms, explosives, and
chemical weapons, receiving stolen goods, making and using false
documents, and for facilitating the entry of illegal immigrants into
Italy. Ben Soltane was also involved in and arrested for the preparation
of an attack against the U.S. Embassy in Rome and for being in contact
and communicating with other terrorist groups.

2\. **[Nabil Benattia]{.underline}**

Nabil Benattia has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with a
criminal association and he is also under indictment for conspiracy to
traffic in arms, explosives, chemical weapons and identity papers, and
also for receiving stolen goods and aiding illegal immigration.

3\. **[Yassine Chekkouri]{.underline}**

Yassine Chekkouri has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with a
criminal association and he is currently under arrest for conspiracy to
traffic in arms, explosives, chemical weapons and identity papers, and
also for receiving stolen goods and aiding illegal immigration. Italian
authorities report that Scotland Yard investigators believe Chekkouri is
"one of the highest" men in the Al Qaida organization.

4\. **[Riadh Jelassi]{.underline}**

Riadh Jelassi has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with a
criminal association as a member of the GSPC. He has been sentenced to 4
years and 6 months in prison for criminal conspiracy to traffic in arms,
receiving stolen goods, making and using false documents, and for
facilitating the entry of illegal immigrants into Italy.

5\. **[Mehdi Kammoun]{.underline}**

Mehdi Kammoun has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with a
criminal association as a member of the GSPC, and has been sentenced to
a 5 year and 10 month term for having organized a cell in Gallarate tied
to Al Qaida. Kammoun was also convicted for conspiracy to traffic in
arms, explosives, and chemical weapons, for receiving stolen goods,
making and using forged documents, and facilitating illegal immigration
to Italy.

6.  **[Samir Kishk]{.underline}**

Samir Kishk has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with
criminal association as a member of the GSPC. He has been indicted and
is under arrest for participation in a criminal conspiracy to traffic in
arms, explosives, chemical weapons, identity papers, receiving stolen
goods and aiding illegal immigration.

7\. **[Tarek Ben Habib Maaroufi]{.underline}**

Tarek Ben Habib Maaroufi has been charged with conspiracy of involvement
with a criminal association as a member of the GSPC, and is wanted by
Italian authorities for participating in a criminal conspiracy to
traffic in arms, explosives, weapons and identity papers. He is under
arrest in Belgium for criminal conspiracy, criminal association (GSPC),
counterfeiting identity papers, and recruiting for a foreign army or
armed force. Maaroufi is suspected of having provided the counterfeit
identity papers to one of the killers of anti-Taliban leader, Ahmed Shah
Massoud.

8\. **[Abdelhalim Remadna]{.underline}**

Abdelhalim Remadna has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with
criminal association and is under arrest for participation in a criminal
conspiracy to traffic in arms, explosives, chemical weapons, identity
papers, receiving stolen goods, and aiding illegal immigration. Italian
authorities have indicated that they have proof of direct telephone
contact between Remadna and Abu Jaafar, who is considered to be the
number three leader within Al Qaida. Remadna is also identified by the
Italian authorities as being an aide to Es Sayed, a previously
designated SDGT.

9\. **[Mansour Thaer]{.underline}**

Mansour Thaer has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with
criminal association and is under arrest in Germany. Thaer has been
investigated in Italy for his links with a terrorist cell, and for
participation in a criminal conspiracy to traffic in arms, explosives,
chemical weapons, identity papers, receiving stolen goods and aiding
illegal immigration.

10\. **[Lazhar Ben Mohammed Tlili]{.underline}**

Lazhar Ben Mohammed Tlili has been charged with conspiracy of
involvement with criminal association and is wanted by Italian
authorities for his participation in a criminal conspiracy to traffic in
arms, explosives, chemical weapons, identity papers, receiving stolen
goods and aiding illegal immigration.

11\. **[Habib Waddani]{.underline}**

Habib Waddani has been charged with conspiracy of involvement with a
criminal association as a member of the GSPC. He has been indicted for
participating in a criminal conspiracy to traffic in arms, explosives,
chemical weapons, identity papers, receiving stolen goods and aiding
illegal immigration.

# II. Nada/Nasreddin Network

Based on information available to Italy and the United States, Youssef
Nada (\"Nada\") and Ahmed Idris Nasreddin (\"Nasreddin\"), through
commercial holdings, operate an extensive financial network providing
support for terrorist related activities. In the case of Nada and
Nasreddin, this involves an extensive conglomeration of businesses from
which they derive their income or through which they conduct
transactions. Based on evidence of their support of terrorism, Nada and
Nasreddin were previously designated by the international community as
financiers of terror. Nada was designated by the United States on
November 7, 2001, and by the United Nations on November 9, 2001.
Nasreddin was designated by the G7 on April 19, 2002, and by the United
Nations on April 24, 2002. Nasreddin's corporate holdings and financial
network provide direct support for Nada and Bank Al Taqwa, which was
also previously designated by the United States on November 7, 2001, and
the United Nations on November 9, 2001. This designation of fourteen
additional entities owned or controlled by either Nada or Nasreddin will
further restrict their assets and their network by precluding these
companies from being used to provide funding or support for terrorism.

Nasreddin and Nada, who have worked closely together for many years, are
both directors of Bank Al Taqwa and Akida Bank. Nada holds a controlling
interest in Bank Al Taqwa and Nasreddin holds a controlling interest in
Akida Bank. Bank Al Taqwa and Akida Bank are not functional banking
institutions in the conventional sense. They are shell companies lacking
a physical presence and sharing the same address in the Bahamas where
they were licensed. For this reason the licenses of Bank Al Taqwa and
Akida Bank have been revoked by the Bahamian government.

Bank Al Taqwa, for which Nasreddin is a director, was established in
1988 with significant backing from the Muslim Brotherhood. They have
been involved in financing radical groups such as the Palestinian Hamas,
Algeria\'s Islamic Salvation Front and Armed Islamic Group, Tunisia\'s
An-Nahda, and Usama bin Laden and his Al Qaida organization. Bank Al
Taqwa was established in the Bahamas and is a close affiliate of the Al
Taqwa Management Organization, which changed its name in the spring of
2000 to the Nada Management Organization. In 1997, it was reported that
the \$60 million collected annually for Hamas was moved to Bank Al Taqwa
accounts. As of October 2000, Bank Al Taqwa appeared to be providing a
clandestine line of credit to a close associate of Usama bin Laden and
as of late September 2001, Usama bin Laden and his Al Qaida organization
received financial assistance from Youssef M. Nada.

Nada and Nasreddin own or control a number of business entities through
direct ownership, control, or in cooperation with each other. Fourteen
of these entities are being designated in furtherance of the prior
designations of these two individuals to disrupt their use of assets
under their ownership or control that could be used to finance terrorist
activities.

12. **[Akida Bank Private Limited]{.underline}**

Nasreddin, who serves as Akida Bank's president, also serves on the
board of directors of Akida Bank along with Youssef Nada. According to
corporate documents, the Nasreddin Foundation, an entity proposed for
designation, owns an overwhelming majority of shares of Akida Bank,
affording Ahmed Idris Nasreddin and the Nasreddin Foundation ownership
and control of Akida Bank.

13. **[Akida Investment Co. Ltd.]{.underline}**

Akida Investment Co. Ltd. was incorporated in the Bahamas in March 2001.
Corporate documents indicate that as of April 2001, all of the assets
and liabilities of Akida Bank Private Limited have been transferred to
Akida Investment Company.

14. **[Nasreddin Group International Holding Limited]{.underline}**

According to corporate documents, Ahmed Idris Nasreddin is the Chairman
of the Board of Directors of Nasreddin Group International Holding
Limited. In addition, Nasreddin Group International Holding Limited is
one of the few entities with which Akida Bank conducts business.

15. **[Nasco Nasreddin Holding A.S.]{.underline}**

Fully 67.5 percent of the outstanding voting capital of Nasco Nasreddin
Holding A.S. is owned by Nasreddin International Group Limited Holding,
an entity owned or controlled by Nasreddin. In addition, Nasreddin also
holds 1.875% of the voting capital in his own name. Nasco Nasreddin
Holding A.S. is an affiliate of Akida Bank.

16. **[Nascotex S.A.]{.underline}**

Nasreddin is the Chief Executive of Nascotex S.A., which is also an
affiliate of Akida Bank and one of a few entities with which Akida Bank
conducts business.

17. **[Nasreddin Foundation]{.underline}**

According to corporate documents from 2000, the Nasreddin Foundation
owns a vast majority of shares of Akida Bank, affording Ahmed Idris
Nasreddin and the Nasreddin Foundation ownership and control of Akida
Bank. Although the Nasreddin Foundation (a.k.a. Nasreddin Stiftung) has
been dissolved since at least 1993, the company, or at least its name,
has been used in business transactions as recently as 2000.

18. **[Ba Taqwa for Commerce and Real Estate Company
    Limited]{.underline}**

Youssef Nada and Ali Ghaleb Himmat, both persons designated by the
United States on November 7, 2001, and by the United Nations on November
9, 2001, are identified as principals of Ba Taqwa for Commerce and Real
Estate Company Limited.

19. **[Miga‑Malaysian Swiss, Gulf and African Chamber]{.underline}**

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin is identified as the President of Miga-Malaysian
Swiss, Gulf and African Chamber, and exercises sole signatory authority
on behalf of the organization.

20\. **[Gulf Center S.R.L.]{.underline}**

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin is the Sole Administrator of Gulf Center S.R.L.

21\. **[Nascoservice S.R.L.]{.underline}**

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin is the Sole Administrator of Nascoservice S.R.L.

22\. **[NASCO Business Residence Center SAS Di Nasreddin Ahmed Idris
EC]{.underline}**

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin is identified as the unlimited partner of NASCO
Business Residence Center.

23\. **[Nasreddin Company Nasco SAS Di Ahmed Idris Nasreddin
EC]{.underline}**

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin is the unlimited partner of Nasreddin Company
Nasco SAS Di Ahmed Idris Nasreddin EC.

24\. **[Nada International Anstalt]{.underline}**

Youssef Nada and Ali Ghaleb Himmat, both persons designated by the
United States on November 7, 2001, and by the United Nations on November
9, 2001, are identified as principals of Nada International Anstalt.

25\. **[Nasreddin International Group Limited Holding]{.underline}**

Ahmed Idris Nasreddin was an original member of the Board of Directors
of Nasreddin International Group Limited Holding when the company was
founded in 1977. Since the late 1980\'s the company has been
administered by a holding company, though the company still bears
Nasreddin\'s name. Nasreddin International Group Limited Holding is an
affiliate of Akida Bank.