TERRORISM FINANCING - ZINDANI: ENFORCING UN

S E C R E T MANAMA 000524 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EB/ECS/ESP:GLASS, S/CT, IO/PHO:PEREZ, AND NEA/ARP TREASURY FOR GENERAL COUNSEL AUFHAUSER, OFAC: NEWCOMB AND TERRORIST FINANCING TASK FORCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2029 TAGS: ETTC EFIN PTER PREL CVIS KSEP KVPR BA SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCING - ZINDANI: ENFORCING UN SANCTIONS REF: STATE 79184 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Ford for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) On April 12, Charge delivered reftel demarche to Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Abdelghaffar requesting that the GOB redouble its efforts to locate and freeze all assets linked to Yemeni cleric Shaikh Zindani. ¶2. (C) Minister Abdelghaffar seemed somewhat surprised that Zindani had been linked to terrorist activities and Al Qaeda. The Minister firmly asserted that Zindani is first and foremost a scholar. He recalled when Zindani originally came to Saudi Arabia and traveled the region holding seminars on peaceful humanitarian subjects. Minister Abdelghaffar interrupted Charge several times asking if the USG was sure of its information on Zindani. He reminded the Charge that the USG had used unreliable Israeli intelligence sources in the past. Charge assured the Minister that the information on Zindani was accurate. Charge specifically requested that the GOB prevent Zindani's entry into Bahrain in order to hinder his fundraising capabilities for terrorist activities. The Minister said he would prevent Zindani's entry into Bahrain but highly doubted that Zindani would be traveling through the region. FORD