'South Africans aided al-Qaeda'

2007-01-26 21:29

Washington - The United States (US) treasury department named two South African cousins as al-Qaeda financiers and facilitators, ordering a freeze on any US assets they may have and banning Americans from doing business with them.

The treasury, invoking an executive order used to combat terrorist financing and money laundering activities, said Farhad Ahmed Dockrat provided funds to a trust used by al-Qaeda, and his cousin, Junaid Ismail Dockrat, helped facilitate travel of South Africans to Pakistan for al-Qaeda training.

The action ends days of speculation about the two Muslim cousins after a South African foreign ministry spokesperson said Johannesburg was in talks with Washington about their being placed on a United Nations (UN) list of people with suspected al-Qaeda ties.

"This designation freezes the Dockrats out of the US financial system and notifies the international community of the dangerous conduct in which the Dockrats are engaged," said Adam Szubin, director of the treasury's office of foreign assets control, in a statement.

The treasury said Farhad Dockrat in 2001 provided more than R400 000 to the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan to be forwarded to al Akhtar Trust, an Afghanistan-based entity that the treasury previously designated as an al-Qaeda fund-raising arm.

It said Junaid Dockrat in 2004 worked via telephone and e-mail with the late al-Qaeda operations chief Abu Hamza Rabia to co-ordinate the travel of South Africans to Pakistan in order for them to train with al-Qaeda.

The treasury said Junaid Dockrat, who used the alias "Sniper Outdoor CC", also was responsible for raising $120 000 that Rabia received in the spring of 2004.

- Reuters