Treasury imposes sanctions on al-Qaida financial leader who is bin Laden’s son-in-law

Treasury sanctions al-Qaida financial leader

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has imposed new sanctions on an al-Qaida financial leader in a continuing campaign to target the terror group’s sources of money.

The Treasury Department sanctions will freeze the assets of Muhammad Abdallah Hasan Abu-al-Khayr, a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden who is considered a possible replacement for al-Qaida’s chief financial officer.

Mustafa al-Yazid, the former No. 3 al-Qaida leader and financier, was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan earlier this year.

Treasury says al-Khayr has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a terrorist attack against U.S. interests.

The action by the Treasury Department will freeze al-Khayr’s assets in U.S. jurisdictions and prohibit Americans from engaging in any transactions with him. The U.N. took a similar action, which extends the sanctions against him to all member nations.

According to the Treasury Department, al-Khayr has worked as a bodyguard for bin Laden, and on at least on occasion, served as an al-Qaida recruiter.

Online:

Treasury Department: www.treas.gov/