Thursday, October 20, 2016

Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Financiers and Operatives

10/20/2016 

Action Includes Joint Designations by the United States and Saudi Arabia
          
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury took action to disrupt the operations, fundraising, and support networks of Hizballah by designating four individuals and one entity pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.  Specifically, Treasury imposed sanctions on Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Kallas, Hasan Jamal-al-Din, Yosef Ayad, Muhammad Ghaleb Hamdar, and Global Cleaners S.A.R.L.  In a related action, the Department of State also designated today Hizballah commander Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i, also known as Abu 'Ali Al-Tabataba'i, pursuant to E.O. 13224.  As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of those designated today subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. 
                                                          
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joined the United States by also designating Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Kallas, Hasan Jamal-al-Din, and Global Cleaners S.A.R.L. for being controlled by U.S.- and Saudi Arabian-designated Hizballah member and financier Adham Husayn Tabaja.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia designated these persons under its Law of Terrorism Crimes and Financing and Royal Decree A/44.  Any of their assets held in Saudi Arabia are frozen, and transfers through the Kingdom's financial sector, and any commercial licenses associated with Kallas, Jamal-al-Din, and Global Cleaners S.A.R.L., are prohibited. 
 
"Today's joint action with Saudi Arabia underscores the strength of U.S. and Saudi cooperation in disrupting Hizballah's worldwide commercial and financial infrastructure," said Adam Szubin, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  "Hizballah continues to plan, coordinate and execute terrorist attacks around the world, and Treasury will continue to aggressively target Hizballah and those supporting its terrorist activities."
 
Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Kallas
 
Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Kallas was designated today for providing financial services to or in support of Treasury-designated Hizballah member and financier Adham Tabaja through his work for Treasury-designated Al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting LLC. 
 
Kallas is an accountant for Al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting LLC.  In this role, he has worked with Tabaja to coordinate funds transfers and bulk cash shipments between Lebanon and Iraq.  In addition, he has worked directly with Treasury-designated money launderers Mohamad Noureddine and Hamdi Zaher El Dine to covertly move money on behalf of Tabaja and his business network in violation of U.S. sanctions.  Noureddine and El Dine were designated by the Department of the Treasury in January 2016 pursuant to E.O. 13224 for providing financial services to or in support of Hizballah.
 
Hasan Jamal-al-Din
 
Hasan Jamal-al-Din was also designated today for providing financial services to or in support of Tabaja through his work for Al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting LLC. 
 
Jamal-al-Din is also an accountant for Al-Inmaa Engineering and Contracting LLC.  In coordination with Al-Inmaa Engineering and Kallas, Jamal-al-Din has worked with Tabaja, Treasury-designated Hizballah External Security Organization (ESO) member Husayn Ali Faour, and other Hizballah members to move money between Lebanon and Iraq.
 
Global Cleaners S.A.R.L.
 
Global Cleaners S.A.R.L. was designated for being owned or controlled by Tabaja. 
 
Global Cleaners S.A.R.L. is managed by Tabaja and is part of Tabaja's Al-Inmaa Group of companies.  Global Cleaners S.A.R.L. has obtained lucrative contracts to provide sanitation services in Baghdad, Iraq.
 
Yosef Ayad
 
Yosef Ayad was designated today for acting on behalf of Hizballah by assisting in the planning of and supporting acts of terrorism. 
 
Ayad is an operative for Hizballah's External Security Organization (ESO), which is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing Hizballah's terrorist attacks worldwide.  As a Hizballah ESO operative, he has procured precursor material used to produce Triacetone Triperoxide explosives.  Ayad was arrested in Thailand in April 2014 after collecting information on tourist targets for the ESO, and later admitted to Thai authorities that he had entered the country to carry out a bomb attack against Israeli tourists in Thailand.
 
Muhammad Ghaleb Hamdar
 
Muhammad Ghaleb Hamdar was also designated today for acting on behalf of Hizballah by assisting in the planning of and supporting acts of terrorism. 
 
Hamdar, another member of Hizballah's ESO, was arrested in Lima, Peru in October 2014 on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in the country for Hizballah.  Upon investigation, Peruvian authorities discovered photographs of popular tourist restaurants and houses as well as traces of military grade explosives in Hamdar's apartment.  Peruvian authorities also found TNT, gunpowder, and detonators in the outdoor trashcan assigned to his unit upon investigation.  Hamdar admitted to being a member of Hizballah ESO and that he undertook all of his activities in Peru at ESO's direction.
 
Hizballah was designated by the Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in October 1997 and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to E.O. 13224 in October 2001.  It was also designated in August 2012 pursuant to E.O. 13582, which targets the Government of Syria and its supporters, and listed in January 1995 in the Annex to E.O. 12947, which targets terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process. 
 
For identifying information on the individuals and entity designated today, click here.
 
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