(S) ACTION REQUEST: KUWAITI HAMID AL-ALI

S E C R E T STATE 001756 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2019 TAGS: PTER PREL ECON NL SUBJECT: (S) ACTION REQUEST: KUWAITI HAMID AL-ALI Classified By: EUR/WE Pamela Spratlen for reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (U) Action request in paragraph 3. ¶2. (U) Summary: In January 2007, the United Nations Security Council 1267 Committee designated Kuwaiti individual Hamid Al-Ali for providing financial support for al-Qaida affiliated groups seeking to commit acts of terrorism in Kuwait, Iraq and elsewhere. In addition to financial support and recruiting services, Al-Ali also provided opportunities for potential recruits to obtain explosives training in 2004. He also used his website to provide technical advice for making explosives, chemical, and biological weapons. Information available to the USG suggests that Al-Ali currently maintains his official websites, www.h-alali.cc and www.h-alali.org, located at ISP address 89.248.172.59 through the Dutch server Altushost.com. End Summary. ¶3. (S/REL GON) Action request: Department requests post to encourage the GON to take the necessary steps to ensure that Altushost.com and other Dutch servers do not provide financial resources, including internet hosting or related services, to www.h-alali.cc and www.h-alali.org. -------------- Background: AML/CTF -------------- ¶4. (U) Al-Ali is a Kuwait-based terrorist facilitator who has provided financial support for al-Qaida-affiliated groups seeking to commit acts of terrorism in Kuwait, Iraq, and elsewhere. In December 2006, Hamid Al-Ali was designated by the USG, pursuant to E.O. 13224 (support for terrorism.) He was subsequently designated by the UN Security Council's 1267 Committee in January 2008. All UN Member States are therefore required to freeze assets on their territories that are owned or controlled by Al-Ali, as well as ensure that no financial resources are provided to him by persons within their territories. In paragraph 20 of resolution 1735 (2006),the Security Council confirmed that these sanctions apply to "all forms of financial resources, including but not limited to those used for provision of Internet hosting or related services, used for the support of Al-Qaida, Usama bin Laden, the Taliban and other individuals, groups, entities and undertakings associated with them." ¶5. (U) Evidence shows that Al-Ali,s efforts include providing support for terrorist organizations, including those in Iraq. Al-Ali recruits jihadists in Kuwait for terrorist activity including for al-Qaida in Iraq. Al-Ali has provided financial support for recruits, including paying for their travel expenses to Iraq. ¶6. (U) Al-Ali was a religious leader and financier for a Kuwait-based terrorist cell that plotted to attack U.S. and Kuwait targets in early 2005. This al-Qaida associated terrorist cell appears to have been under his supervision during that period. Al-Ali reportedly visited the group's terrorist camps in Kuwait, providing funds supporting acts of terrorism. ¶7. (U) Separate from the financial and other services in support of terrorist groups for which Al-Ali was designated, he has issued fatwas legitimizing suicide operations. One such fatwa sanctions "the permissiveness, and sometimes necessity, of suicide operations, on the condition of crushing the enemy, or causing moral defeat to the enemy, to obtain victory." According to this fatwa, "in modern time(s) this can be accomplished through the modern means of bombing or by bringing down an airplane on an important sire that causes the enemy great casualties." -------------- Point of contact -------------- ¶8. (U) Please contact Treasury/TFFC - Danny Harris at (202-622-6914, harrisda@tsdn.sgov.gov, or Daniel.Harris@do.treas.gov) for any further information on this subject. RICE