Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071004-02
October 4, 2007

Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain al-Qaeda financier, one other

BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained two individuals believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda in Iraq criminal network Oct. 2, near Baghdad. 
 
During one of the operations, Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division detained a suspected al-Qaeda financier in Kindi.  The extremist financier is suspected of traveling to foreign countries to acquire financial support for terrorist activities and is suspected of supplying more than $50,000 to al-Qaeda each month.  He is believed to have received $100,000,000 this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the Iraq border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt.  
 
The terrorist is linked to financing cells in Doura, Tarmiyah and Baqubah, and uses a leather merchant business as a front to smuggle weapons and explosives from surrounding countries.  Intelligence shows he has stores in Fallujah, Syria and Jordan.
 
He allegedly employs 40 to 50 extremists who help deliver and emplace improvised explosive devices to attack Iraqi and Coalition Forces.  The group allegedly pays cell members $3,000 for each operation.   

The financier is additionally linked to purchasing explosives and weapons that were used to destroy the dome of the sacred “Golden Mosque” in 2006 and then re-attacking it in 2007.  In April, the suspected terrorist allegedly shot at a Coalition patrol in Al-Mansour, killing three U.S. service members and wounding one. 
 
During a separate operation, Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained a suspected al-Qaeda platoon leader Oct. 2 in Radwaniyah.
 
The extremist commands 15 men to attack Iraqi and Coalition Forces with IEDs and direct firefights.  In April, the leader and his group emplaced and detonated an IED along the main highway in Radwaniyah, injuring several Iraqi Army Soldiers and destroying a tactical vehicle.  In May, the group attacked an Iraqi Army traffic control point and killed several Soldiers during the firefight.
 
No U.S. or Iraqi members were harmed during these operations.

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