US designates Iran-based Bahraini national as global terrorist

The US today designated an Iran-based Bahraini national as a global terrorist for his involvement in a plot to assassinate prominent figures in Bahrain and target three oil pipelines.

Qassim Abdullah Ali Ahmed, who also goes by the name Qassim al-Muamen, was put on the list of the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under federal rules which impose sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.

The designation seeks to deny al-Muamen the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.

Under the designation, all of al-Muamen's property and interests subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him, the State Department said in a statement.

Al-Muamen is an Iran-based leader of al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and SDGT that seeks to overthrow the Bahraini government. He has recruited terrorists in Bahrain, facilitated training on weapons and explosives for AAB members, and supplied them with funding, weapons, and explosives to carry out attacks.

In November 2017, Bahraini authorities identified al-Muamen as being involved in an AAB plot to assassinate prominent figures in Bahrain and target three oil pipelines, the State Department said.

The designation notifies the US public and the international community that al-Muamen has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate them, and deny them access to the US financial system, it said.