Syria seizes alleged terror cash
Published 9:00 pm Friday, December 19, 2003
WASHINGTON — At least six Arabs believed to have links to al-Qaida and carrying what some intelligence reports estimated was $23.5 million were arrested by Syria last week, according to administration officials.
It is believed to be the first time in the global war on terrorism that couriers have been seized with such a large amount of money, said the counterterrorism officials, some of whom monitor terrorist financing.
A senior official who has read the intelligence reports said, "They got six or eight people with about $23.5 million."
U.S. officials are trying to trace the money. But Syria has refused to turn over the individuals for interrogation and has not given U.S investigators access to those detained, a senior U.S. official said. The official added that Syria will likely keep whatever money it confiscated.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies have not made a significant seizure of money moving to terrorist organizations outside of bulk cash shipments departing the United States, sources say.
While U.S. authorities have spotted couriers leaving Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, they have not been able to stop them because U.S. officials have no jurisdiction there.
If the cash Syria seized is as much as first reports indicate, it would be a significant catch. It is not known how the money was transported, but officials believe such a large amount would require a very big truck.
One U.S. official said it is possible the money was part of Saddam Hussein’s stockpile of cash and was being moved out of Iraq to finance terrorist attacks elsewhere.
If so, the seizure would represent a serious blow to al-Qaida’s financing. Intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida operates on a budget in the tens of millions of dollars, so $23 million would be a significant dent.
U.S. officials said despite not having access to the couriers, it is a positive sign that Syria made the arrests. The Syrians "are doing things that we would approve of" in the war on terrorism, one of the U.S. counterterrorism officials said. "It’s not all bad."
