TERRORISM FINANCE: UPDATE ON AL GHABRA 1267

S E C R E T LONDON 007974 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT, EB/ESC/TFS, EUR/PGI, IO/PSC, AND EUR/UBI TREASURY FOR HEFFERNAN AND MENDELSOHN NSC FOR HINNEN USUN FOR TESSLER E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2016 TAGS: ETTC EFIN PTER LVPR CVIS KTFN UK SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: UPDATE ON AL GHABRA 1267 DESIGNATION CASE REF: LONDON 7856 Classified By: Economic Counselor Sandra Clark for reasons 1.4(b) and ( d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5. ¶2. (S/NF) The UK intends to prenotify P-5 partners November 24 of its intent to request a UN 1267 designation of UK citizen Mohammed Al Ghabra. According to Giles Cutler of the FCO Sanctions Unit, the UK plans to submit the request to the 1267 committee on November 28. Cutler noted that the dates may shift slightly as the FCO and Security Services liaise with law enforcement officials. UK law enforcement officials intend to search Al Ghabra's property immediately after the UN designation is announced. ¶3. (S/NF) Cutler said that the UK hopes for U.S. cosponsorship of the designation. Because Al Ghabra presents a flight risk, and because of the linked law enforcement action, the UK requests that the U.S. not publicly announce our E.O. 13224 designation until after the UN 1267 designation is announced. Cutler also asked that the U.S. coordinate in advance any press releases or other public announcements we plan; HMG is concerned that the public release of negative information on Al Ghabra could be viewed as negatively prejudicing a future criminal trial. ¶4. (S/NF) Cutler also provided an updated draft statement of case. He noted that the statement of case was nearly final. The UK intends, however, to add information regarding Al Ghabra's travel to South Africa and to explicitly state that Harakat Ul Mujahidin has already been designated at the UN. Please find below the most current statement of case. (BEGIN DRAFT STATEMENT OF CASE) Statement of Case Mohammed Al Ghabra. Born 1 June 1980, Damascus, Syria (naturalized British citizen). 26 Eric Close, Forest Gate, London, E7 0AY, United Kingdom. Mohammed Al Ghabra is a UK-based prominent Islamist extremist with contact to a significant number of extremist individuals. He has historically been, and continues to be, in regular direct contact with Pakistan-based senior AQ individuals. In 2002 he met the now detained AQ Director of Operations Faraj Al-Libi, a senior AQ commander who was detained by Pakistani authorities in 2005. Al Ghabra stayed at Al-Libi's home address for one week. He is also in regular contact with UK-based Islamist extremists and has been involved in the radicalizing of UK-based individuals, through the distribution of extremist media. He has provided material and logistical support to UK-based extremists to facilitate their travel to attend Islamist extremist training camps in Waziristan. In addition he has provided material support and facilitated the travel of UK-based individuals to Iraq to support the insurgents' fight against coalition forces. Al Ghabra has organised travel to Pakistan of individuals seeking to meet with senior AQ individuals and to undertake jihad training. Several of these individuals have returned to the UK to engage in covert activity on behalf of AQ, with one individual taking part in a failed suicide bomb attack in ¶2005. Al Ghabra has strong links to the Kashmiri militant group Harakat Ul Mujahidin (HuM). We believe that Al Ghabra himself has undertaken jihadi training at a HUJI training camp in Kashmir, where he learned to use AK47 assault rifles as well as pistols. Al Ghabra intended to fight in Kashmir but was prevented from doing so by HuM as they needed individuals to return to the UK to raise funds. Whilst in Pakistan in 2002, he also met Haroon Rachid Aswat, who was arrested in 2005 and deported to the UK for terrorist related activities. Aswat remains in detention in the UK. (END DRAFT STATEMENT OF CASE) ¶5. (S/NF) Action requested: Please advise whether we are willing to cosponsor a UN 1267 designation in the timeframe requested by the UK. Please also provide any draft press releases or public announcements so that we may coordinate them with the UK. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle