Court freezes Saudi fund over alleged terror links

The Court of Appeals has frozen the bank account of a Saudi Arabian charity suspected of being a conduit for terrorist funds, court officials said Monday.

Anti-money laundering officials suspect the International Islamic Relief Organization (IRRO) is financing the activities of local affiliates of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, including the armed Abu Sayyaf group, court officials said.

The appellate court last week handed down a 20-day writ on the funds deposited at the Bank of the Philippine Islands, said the ruling written by Associate Justice Arcangelita Lontok, which was made public only Monday.
The amount involved was not disclosed. IRRO officials here could not be reached for comment.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council, which is led by the central bank, described IRRO as one of Saudi Arabia's largest charitable organizations. The court freeze was sought by the United States, a key ally, it added.

Washington, which considers the Abu Sayyaf a "foreign terrorist organization", has accused IRRO of funding terrorist attacks in different countries including the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in Washington and the World Trade Center towers in New York.

Lontok's ruling said the court found "probable cause" to the Philippine government allegation and handed down a freeze order effective for 20 days.

The council sought the freeze, which it said was consistent with the provisions of the UN Security Council's Resolution 1373 requiring UN-member states "to freeze terrorist assets without delay and to prohibit their nationals or persons in their territories from financing terrorism."

"Considering the inclusion of the beneficiaries of al Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf, and Jemmah Islamiyah as well as the designation of Abdul Al-Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil and IRRO to the list of UN Sanctions Committee, there is sufficient ground to freeze IRRO's assets in the Philippines," the council added.

Al-Mujil is the executive director of the Eastern Province branch of IRRO in Saudi Arabia.

It said the US Treasury suspected the IRRO branch here of serving as liaison for the Abu Sayyaf -- which has kidnapped or killed American and Western tourists and claimed credit for deadly bombings -- and other Islamic militant groups.

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