WASHINGTON—The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today jointly took action to disrupt the financing and operations of Al-Furqan Foundation Welfare Trust (Al-Furqan), which is the successor entity to the Afghan Support Committee (ASC) and Revival of Islamic Heritage Society branches in Pakistan and Afghanistan (RIHS-Pakistan). Both were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) and listed on the United Nations (UN) al-Qaida Sanctions List in 2002. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has updated the existing SDGT designations of ASC and RIHS-Pakistan because they are a single organization that changed its name to Al-Furqan Foundation Welfare Trust in order to continue its terrorist financing activities. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia designated Al-Furqan under its Law of Terrorism Crimes and Financing and the Royal Decree A/44.
“Today’s joint action reflects the strength of U.S. and Saudi cooperation on countering the financing of terrorism,” said Adam J. Szubin, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. “We are committed to exposing terrorist financiers, especially those who masquerade as charities.”
Since its establishment in the mid-2000s, Al-Furqan has provided funding and other support to terrorist organizations such as al-Qaida, the Taliban, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. Al-Furqan also has provided funding and other support to terrorist facilitator Shaykh Aminullah, who was designated by the United States and the UN in 2009, and other extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Today’s amendment updates the listing for this entity as SDGT, freezing any assets under U.S. jurisdiction. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from doing business with this entity. Further, any assets of this entity under Saudi jurisdiction are also frozen, and Saudi citizens are generally prohibited from doing business with it.
Purported Charity Changes Name to Avoid Scrutiny
RIHS-Pakistan changed its name to Al-Furqan after the United States and the UN designated ASC and RIHS-Pakistan in January 2002 for funding al-Qaida. In circa 2004, Al-Furqan replaced ASC after ASC’s designation in January 2002 by the U.S. and the UN for supporting al-Qaida. Al-Furqan was affiliated with and received direct support from U.S.-designated RIHS headquarters in Kuwait. In October 2013, a poster on RIHS’s website depicted RIHS development projects in Pakistan that displayed the emblem of Al-Furqan, suggesting that RIHS was conducting its activities in Pakistan through Al-Furqan. In February 2014, an RIHS social media website depicted another RIHS development project in Pakistan featuring the Al-Furqan emblem.
Al-Furqan’s Terrorist Support Activities
Al-Furqan is a charitable organization that is a major conduit of financial and material support for terrorist groups and their activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in some cases under the guise of humanitarian work. As of November 2013, Al-Furqan was providing funding for the U.S. designated terrorist training center Ganj Madrassa, which was controlled by al-Qaida facilitator Shaykh Aminullah. Al-Furqan was used to manage financial transactions between individuals in the Gulf and Pakistan in support of the Afghan insurgent movement led by Shaykh Aminullah. Afghan insurgent money managers gained access to funds through Al-Furqan with a special note written by Shaykh Aminullah.
As of mid-2014, Al-Furqan’s management provided tens of thousands of U.S. dollars to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba leadership. Some of this money was obtained as a result of Al-Furqan’s revenue streams from individuals in the Gulf. As of November 2013, Al-Furqan’s management was affiliated with an Afghan insurgent organization that coordinated militant activities with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. Al-Furqan as of November 2013 has provided aid shipments for unspecified projects in Kashmir, which were delivered under the protection of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. As of January 2011, Al-Furqan financed two Pakistan-based madrassa directors who fought for Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, sent madrasa students to fight for Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in Afghanistan, and used Al-Furqan’s funding to stage cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. As of August 2014, Al-Furqan was used to transfer funding on behalf of al-Qaida from sources in the Gulf.
Identifying information:
Entity: Al-Furqan Foundation Welfare Trust
AKA: Al-Furqan Welfare Foundation
AKA: Forkhan Relief Organization
AKA: Al-Furqan al-Khariya
AKA: Al-Furqan Kharia
AKA: Al-Forqan Al-Khairya
AKA: Al-Furqan Ul Khaira
AKA: Al-Furqan Charitable Foundation
AKA: Social Development Foundation
AKA: Organization for Peace and Development Pakistan
AKA: Raies Khilqatul Qurania Foundation of Pakistan
AKA: Al-Furkan
AKA: Al-Forkan
AKA: Mosasa-Tul-Forqan
AKA: Moassesa al-Furqan
AKA: Al-Mosasatul Furqan
AKA: Al Mosusta Furqan
AKA: Jamiat al-Furqan
AKA: Lajnatul Furqan
AKA: Hayat ur Ras Al-Furqan
AKA: Hiyat Oraz Al Islamiya
AKA: Jamito Ahia Toras al-Islami
AKA: Jamiat al-Haya al-Sarat
AKA: Ahya Utras
AKA: Ahiyahu Turus
AKA: Hayatutras
AKA: Hayaturas
AKA: Al-Turaz Trust
AKA: Al-Turaz Organization
AKA: Hitras
Address: House Number 56, E. Canal Road, University Town, Peshawar, Pakistan
Alt. address: Near old Badar Hospital in University Town, Peshawar, Pakistan
Alt. address: Chinar Road, University Town, Peshawar, Pakistan
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