Charity Guilty of Funding Terror

November 25, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7747187.stm

A Muslim charity and five of its former leaders have been convicted of funding the Palestinian militant group Hamas, designated a terrorist group in the US.

Jurors reached the guilty verdict after eight days of deliberations in the retrial of the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.

The group - once the largest US Muslim charity - was accused of giving more than $12m (£8m) to support Hamas.

It was the largest terrorism financing trial since the 9/11 attacks.

The former head of the charity, Ghassan Elashi, and the former chief executive, Shukri Abu-Baker, were convicted of 69 counts including money laundering and tax fraud.

Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh were convicted on three counts of conspiracy, and Mohammed El-Mezain was convicted on one count of conspiracy to support a terrorist organisation.