US puts 2 LeT financial facilitators as global terrorists

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action to disrupt Lashkar-e Tayyiba's (LeT) fundraising and support networks by designating two of the group's financial facilitators, Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar, as Global Terrorists.

OFAC has designated Hassan and Jabbar for acting for or on behalf of LeT, a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan.

"These Lashkar-e Tayyiba financial facilitators are responsible for collecting, transporting and distributing funds to support this terrorist group and provide salaries to extremists. Treasury's designations not only aim to expose and shut down Lashkar-e- Tayyiba's financial network, but also to curtail its ability to raise funds to carry out violent terrorist attacks," said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

All property and interests in the name of Hassan and Jabbar subjected to US jurisdiction are now blocked.

Also, US persons have been prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

Hassan, a financial facilitator for LeT worked with Falah-e Insaniat Foundation, an alias of LeT, to collect and send funds to Syria as of late 2016.

Further, during early 2016, Hassan worked with his brother, Muhammad Ijaz Safarash, and Khalid Walid to transport funds to Pakistan on behalf of LeT.

OFAC previously designated Safarash and Walid as SDGTs for their association with LeT in March 2016 and September 2012, respectively.

Additionally, Hassan has an active Twitter account, which identifies him as the leader of Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawah (an alias of LeT) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Jabbar, a financial facilitator managed salary distribution for the terrorist group.

He has worked in LeT's finance department since around 2000. As of mid-2016, Jabbar distributed funds on behalf of the Falah-e Insaniat Foundation, an alias of LeT.

In December 2001, the Department of State designated LeT as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224. LeT was also added to the UN Security Council's 1267/1989 Sanctions List in May 2005.

The Jamaat-ud Dawa was designated as an alias of LeT pursuant to E.O. 13224 in April 2006 and was added to the UN Security Council's 1267/1989 Sanctions List in December 2008.

In November 2010, the Department of State amended its designations of LeT to include the alias Falah-e Insaniat Foundation.

In March 2012, the UN amended its Sanctions List to recognise the Falah-e Insaniat Foundation as a front for LeT.

Separately, the Department of State on Tuesday put Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil on the list of 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).