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Wednesday, November 20, 2002
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HizbAllah and Other Terror Groups Financing in the

United States
Panel One of a Hearing of the Senate Judiciary
Committee
Subject: Terrorism Financing
Chaired By: Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Witness: Robert Conrad, United States Attorney, for the Western District
of North Carolina
226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
10:02 A.M. Est, Wednesday, November 20, 2002
SEN. SPECTER: (Sounds gavel.) Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The Judiciary
Committee hearing will now commence on the subject of how to combat the financing of
worldwide terrorism. With last night's passage by the United States Senate of homeland
security, we have again signalled the determination of the United States government to
fight terrorism worldwide.

We face enormous threats, as it is well known from the cataclysmic events of September
11th, and the United States government is in pursuit of al Qaeda around the world. Al
Qaeda cannot function unless it is well financed. There are other major terrorist
organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and there again, it is a matter of financing.
And the United States government has taken steps to deal with our allies, our friends, and
some who are not our allies or friends, to try to stop the financing of terrorism.

We will hear testimony today about what has been undertaken with a trip in mid-October
by a key federal official to Europe to talk to our European allies about stopping money
laundering and stopping the financing of terrorism. We're going to hear testimony of a
successful criminal prosecution involving Hamas. And we are zeroing in on Hezbollah and
all other terrorist organizations.

Our hearing today is going to focus on an issue which has not received much attention, if
any, and that is the potential criminal liability of individuals who contribute to Hamas, or
any other terrorist organization, where those organizations are involved in terrorism which
result in the deaths of Americans. In 1986, Congress passed the Terrorist Prosecution Act,
which makes it a federal offense to assault, maim or murder an American citizen anywhere

http://www.free-lebanon.com/LFPNews/financeterror/fmanceterror.html 7/29/03