Brown to clampdown on Hamas assets
Gordon Brown has told the Bank of England to freeze the assets of Hamas terror leaders.
Mr Brown called for a crackdown on the finances of the militant pro-Palestinian group after new leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, yesterday openly called for insurrection against Israel.
Israel has been fighting an offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas militants since a double suicide bomb attack in the Israeli port of Ashdod last week. The attack claimed the lives of 10 Israelis and was carried out by two Palestinians who entered Israel from Gaza.
Hamas leader Rantisi, Musa Abu Marzouk, Imad Khalil Al-Alami, Usama Hamdan and Khalid Mishaal are the five targeted by the British government for tough new terror sanctions.
Mr Brown also ordered the Bank of England to clampdown on two Kurdish groups – Kadek and Kongra-Gel.
Mr Brown told the Commons Treasury Select Committee yesterday that £70 million of terrorist assets had been frozen since the September 11th atrocities in 2001.
“Those who finance and support terror are every bit as guilty as the perpetrators,” he told MPs.
“The UK has been a leading country in implementing UN freezes of terrorist assets and taking appropriate domestic action,” he added.
