FSB REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON AL-QAIDA ACTIVITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 000437

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/CT ROTHSCHILD, EUR/PGI REASOR
STATE FOR EUR/RUS, EB/ESC/IEC
TREASURY FOR BAKER/GAERTNER
NSC FOR TRACY MCKIBBEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2017
TAGS: KTFN PTER PREL RS
SUBJECT: FSB REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON AL-QAIDA ACTIVITY
IN RUSSIA

Classified By: ECON M/C Quanrud, Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) On January 22, Russia's Federal Security Service
(FSB) passed a note to Embassy Moscow ORC requesting
information the USG might have regarding Al Qaida financial
activity in the Russian Federation. Below is an unofficial
Embassy translation of the note. A copy of the original
Russian-language note as well as the English translation will
be sent via classified email to S/CT, EUR/PGI and EUR/RUS.


2. (C) English-language translation of the note follows:

"The Russian Federal Security Service

Confidential

SIPDIS

Exclusively for the United States

Regarding a report from the U.S. Congress

In late September 2006, the intelligence committee of the
U.S. House of Representatives (Embassy Note: the HPSCI)
published a report under the title 'Al Qaida: The Many Faces
of an Islamic Extremist Threat.'

A significant part of the report was dedicated to issues of
terrorist financing activity. In this regard, Russia was
mentioned as being among the countries in which Al Qaida
carried out fundraising activities.

In view of the fact that the basis of the report was
presumably provided to the Congress by the CIA's CTC and by
the U.S. NCTC, we request that you inform us, if possible, of
any information specifically on Russia, which was used in the
report. We would also like to express our interest in
receiving any information of which the Russian Government
might not be aware, be it factual or analytical, which
relates to this matter.

We appreciate your cooperation."

End translation.
BURNS