Several major international corporations contributed funds to a Muslim charity accused of funneling money to the Al-Qaeda network. Former Director of the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF), Enaam Arnaout, will go on trial next month for transferring donations made by Microsoft, UBS and Compaq to terrorist organizations, reported the US Justice Department.
According to the US government, the foundation, a Saudi charity that established Chicago headquarters in 1992, received both direct employee donations and matching grants from those companies.
Microsoft revealed that it contributed close to $20,000 to BIF over an extended period of time but ended the matching grants after it was informed of the terrorist links, reported AP. UBS and Compaq have also stopped donating to the charity.
BIF told donors that their contributions were helping Muslims in distress in Bosnia and Chechnya. US officials allege that Anaout has close ties with Al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama Bin Laden and was involved in the founding of the network. The Syrian national denies funneling money to terrorists.
For years, Saudi Arabia has been surrounded by rumors over the funneling of portions of its extensive oil wealth to Islamic terrorist groups. Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan and his wife were questioned this past November regarding the transfer of charity funds, which may have indirectly wound up with two of the September 11 hijackers.
Saudi sources acknowledged that the couple provided approximately $130,000 in charitable donations over a four-year period. At least one of the Saudi checks was signed over to the wife of Osama Bassnan, a Saudi national living in California suspected of helping two men who later participated in the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
