Homeland Security Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Terrorist Financing

Statement

The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, chaired by Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA), will hold a hearing entitled "Terrorist Financing Since 9/11: Assessing an Evolving al-Qaeda and State Sponsors of Terrorism" tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Room 311 Cannon House Office Building.

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Federal government launched operations to crackdown on terrorism financing, which resulted in a number of successful domestic terrorist financing cases against organizations such as the Holy Land Foundation; Al-Barakaat, a Somalia-based hawala; Global Relief Foundation, an Islamic charity in Bridgeview, IL with links to al-Qaeda; and the al-Qaeda affiliated Benevolence International, which is on the list of the 20 main financiers of the 9/11 masterminds.

At tomorrow's hearing, the Subcommittee will examine how tactics for combating terrorist financing have progressed -- from stopping the flow of funds, to following the money in order to identify terrorists and sympathizers. In addition, Members will have the opportunity to assess emerging challenges in the fight against terrorist financing and what is being done to address them.

Meehan said: "Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, significant U.S. Government resources have been devoted to identifying links between terrorist groups' intent on attacking the U.S. Homeland and their financial benefactors here at home and abroad. The U.S. Intelligence Community, led by the Department of the Treasury Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, has been a model in effectively using financial intelligence to identify funding streams to terrorist networks and state sponsors of terrorism.

"This hearing will examine the current status of our fight against terrorist financing, especially as we face an evolving al-Qaeda with multiple affiliates worldwide, and an emboldened Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism."

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