AL-NUSRAH FRONT LEADER RECEIVES TERRORIST DESIGNATION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Terrorist Designation of Al-Nusrah Front Leader Muhammad Al-Jawlani
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 16, 2013

The Department of State has designated al-Nusrah Front leader Muhammad al-Jawlani as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. As a result of the designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which al-Jawlani has any interest is blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him or for his benefit. Also, today the Department of the Treasury designated four Assad regime senior officials, as well as two Assad regime-linked entities, Syrian Arab Airlines and Addounia Television.

Al-Jawlani is considered the leader of al-Nusrah. He has stated in videos that his ultimate goal is the overthrow of the Syrian regime and the institution of Islamist shari’a law throughout the country. Al-Jawlani was specifically tasked by al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI) to carry out these objectives. Under al-Jawlani’s leadership, al-Nusrah Front has carried out multiple suicide attacks throughout Syria. These attacks have been primarily in Damascus but the group has targeted other areas of the country as well. Many of these attacks have killed innocent Syrian civilians. Al-Nusrah’s claimed operations since the group’s December 2012 designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization have included a January 26, 2013 suicide attack on a military base in Syria’s Quneitra Province, near the Golan Heights; a February 15, 2013 statement claiming responsibility for early February suicide attacks on regime targets in Damascus and the nearby town of al-Shadadi; and a March 20, 2013 statement claiming responsibility for two separate suicide attacks that targeted a bridge and bunker near the city of Homs on March 6, 2013.

Although al-Nusrah Front was formed by AQI in late 2011 as a front for AQI’s activities in Syria, recently al-Jawlani publicly pledged allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qa’ida’s leader. On December 11, 2012, the State Department amended the designations of AQI as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity under Executive Order 13224 to include al-Nusrah Front as an alias.

The violent, sectarian vision of al-Jawlani’s al-Nusrah is at odds with the aspirations of the Syrian people, including the overwhelming majority of the Syrian opposition, who seek a free, democratic, and inclusive Syria and have made clear their desire for a government that respects and advances national unity, dignity, human rights, and equal protection under the law – regardless of faith, ethnicity, or gender.

Extremism and terrorist ideology have no place in a post-Assad Syria, and all responsible Syrians should speak out against al-Qa’ida and other extremist elements. By opting for the use of force against its own people, the Assad regime has created the circumstances that attract the violent extremists, who seek to exploit civil strife for their own purposes. The sooner the political transition to a post-Assad Syria begins, the better it will be for the Syrian people and the region.

MEK DELISTED AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Delisting of the Mujahedin-e Khalq
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 28, 2012
The Secretary of State has decided, consistent with the law, to revoke the designation of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and its aliases as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and to delist the MEK as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. These actions are effective today. Property and interests in property in the United States or within the possession or control of U.S. persons will no longer be blocked, and U.S. entities may engage in transactions with the MEK without obtaining a license. These actions will be published in the Federal Register.

With today’s actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK’s past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on U.S. soil in 1992. The Department also has serious concerns about the MEK as an organization, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse committed against its own members.

The Secretary’s decision today took into account the MEK’s public renunciation of violence, the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MEK for more than a decade, and their cooperation in the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf, their historic paramilitary base.

The United States has consistently maintained a humanitarian interest in seeking the safe, secure, and humane resolution of the situation at Camp Ashraf, as well as in supporting the United Nations-led efforts to relocate eligible former Ashraf residents outside of Iraq.

A U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT TERRORIST DESIGNATION

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Terrorist Designation of Azzam Abdullah Zureik Al-Maulid Al-Subhi

Media Note
Washington, DC
August 7, 2012
The Department of State designated Azzam Abdullah Zureik Al-Maulid Al-Subhi (better known as Mansur al-Harbi) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. Mansur al-Harbi is a trainer and senior member of al-Qa’ida, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Mansur al-Harbi is a Saudi citizen currently wanted for extradition by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for participating in terrorist activities and for his ties to al-Qa’ida. The Kingdom included al-Harbi on its most wanted terrorist list for his ties to al-Qa’ida, and terrorist activity. According to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, Mansur al-Harbi is accused of working at a training camp in Afghanistan and is tied to numerous senior al-Qa’ida leaders including Abdel Aziz Migrin and Sayf al-Adl. Al-Harbi is the subject of Interpol Red and Orange Notices because of his membership in al-Qa’ida and his involvement in terrorist activity.

Mansur al-Harbi travelled to Afghanistan more than a decade ago to join al-Qa’ida. He is responsible for training militants and for the coordination of foreign fighters who travel to Afghanistan to fight against coalition forces. As a result of his key training position, al-Harbi is closely connected to many senior al-Qa’ida leaders.

The designation under E.O. 13224 blocks all of Mansur al-Harbi’s property interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of al-Harbi. The action taken against this individual demonstrates the United States’ resolve in eliminating al-Qa’ida’s ability to execute violent attacks. The Department of State took this action in consultation with the Departments of Justice and Treasury.