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Charity Begins in Riyadh

Unfortunately it often ends in the hands of terrorists.

Feb 2, 2004, Vol. 9, No. 20 • By MATTHEW A. LEVITT
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SINCE JUNE, intermittent reports have suggested Riyadh was on the verge of taking firm action against terror financiers among the Saudi elite. After a series of unexplained delays, a U.S. delegation visiting the Saudi capital in December finally secured Saudi agreement to shut the offices of the al Haramain Foundation in Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Pakistan, and take action against senior al Haramain officials in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, the Saudis were expected to announce criminal proceedings against the foundation's recently fired director of 13 years, Sheikh Aqel al Aqel, who according to well-informed sources was caught transporting millions of dollars out of the country via couriers.

This week, when the much anticipated press conference was finally held, the closure of a few more al Haramain branches proved anticlimactic in the glaring absence of any action against al Aqel or any of the other prominent Saudis bankrolling terror.

Officials had reason to hope for more. Despite recent United Nations and U.S. General Accounting Office reports highlighting the difficulty of combating terror financing, and the central role Saudi Arabia plays in this continuing problem, the Saudis had made significant, if limited, progress in the war on terror in the wake of al Qaeda attacks in Riyadh in May and November 2003. Moreover, the agreement to make an example of al Aqel had reportedly been reached with Crown Prince Abdullah himself, which suggests that Interior Minister Prince Nayef and/or other senior princes vying for power may have played a role in derailing action against al Aqel.

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