18 December 2001
U.S.-Based Muslim Charity Raided by NATO in Kosovo
By PHILIP SHENON
WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 — NATO troops have raided the offices of an American
charity in Kosovo as part of an investigation that, according to the Bush
administration, links at least two large Muslim charities based in Illinois
to fund-raising for Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network.
NATO said in a statement posted today on its Web site that members of its
peacekeeping force had carried out raids on Friday on two offices of the Global
Relief Foundation, which is based outside Chicago and raises millions of
dollars each year for Muslim nations and territories. The beneficiaries include
war-ravaged Kosovo.
The statement said the soldiers acted "after receiving credible intelligence
information that individuals working for this organization may have been directly
involved in supporting worldwide international terrorist activities."
The Global Relief organization, the statement added, "is allegedly involved
in planning attacks against targets in the U.S.A. and Europe."
Global Relief and the other charity named by the administration as having
possible links to Al Qaeda — the Benevolence International Foundation, also
based in Illinois — have vigorously denied any connection to Al Qaeda or any
other terrorist group.
Spokesmen for the Global Relief organization said the charity is the victim
of an anti-Muslim smear campaign by the government and pointed out that Global
Relief officials had condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in public statements.
"I am hoping to get an apology from President Bush," said Roger Simmons,
a lawyer for Global Relief. He accused the government of "McCarthyism" in
its treatment of the Muslim charities.
The raids on Friday came only hours before the Treasury Department and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation carried out their own raids on domestic offices
of Global Relief and Benevolence International and froze their assets.
On Friday, the Treasury Department and the F.B.I. would not identify which
terrorist groups might be linked to the two charities.
Over the weekend, however, the Treasury Department said both groups had
helped raise money for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, which have been blamed
for the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
"It is our contention that Global Relief Foundation and Benevolence International
Foundation are both linked financially with funneling funds to Al Qaeda and
other associate groups," said Tasia Scolinos, a spokeswoman for the Treasury
Department.
Beyond that allegation, the Treasury Department and the F.B.I. have been
unwilling to reveal any evidence that might link either charity to Al Qaeda,
and an administration official acknowledged that it was possible that any
help given to Al Qaeda might have been given unwittingly.
"Did these people know the money was being funneled to Al Qaeda?" the official
said. "The situation is under inquiry."
The NATO statement about the Kosovo raids left many questions unanswered,
and the telephone at the office of the spokesman for the peacekeeping mission
went unanswered today.
The NATO peacekeeping force entered Kosovo two years ago to help end vicious
ethnic fighting directed against the mostly Muslim ethnic Albanian majority
in the region by Serbian forces.
The statement said peacekeepers "carried out a coordinated search operation
on the offices of the Global Relief Foundation" in Pristina and Dakovice.
The troops "temporarily detained several people and collected a quantity of
documents and equipment," it said.
Mr. Simmons, the charity's lawyer, said in an interview that he did not
know what had become of those detained in Kosovo, or why the offices had
been raided.
Global Relief reported donations of $5.2 million last year. According to
its public records, the money was distributed to aid projects throughout the
Muslim world.
Mr. Simmons argued today that unless the government's freeze on the charity's
assets was lifted, many impoverished Muslims overseas would face malnutrition
or even death this winter.
He said he was struggling to persuade the Treasury Department to allow Global
Relief to resume its assistance programs "to people who are dying of starvation
or cold."
"I feel absolutely confident that once they understand what we're doing
with our money, they give us not only approval but enforcement," he said
of the government.
When F.B.I. agents carried out the raids in Illinois, he said, several told
him in confidence that they were embarrassed by their action.
"More than one of them said they were appalled at what they had to do,"
he said.
An F.B.I. spokeswoman declined to comment on Mr. Simmons's remarks.
Last week, federal law enforcement agents froze the assets and searched
the office of another large Muslim charity, the Holy Land Foundation for
Relief and Development, in Richardson, Tex.
In the case of the Holy Land Foundation, the government accused the foundation
of supporting Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that has taken responsibility
for a series of recent suicide bombings in Israel.