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3. Terrorists and Their Supporters Participate in the Economic System
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3 Terrorists and Their Supporters Participate in the Economic System Terrorists and their abettors exploit the assets available in the economic system to their advantage. In doing so, they are able to acquire financial, organizational, and operational resources (e.g., arms, training, intelligence , and information) from governments, companies, nonprofits, and individuals. Terrorists complement their manipulation of traditional economic resources through the commission of crimes as diverse as: counterfeiting currency, credit cards, and ATM cards; misappropriating and using credit card information; forging documents; identity theft; money laundering; drug trafficking; corruption; commercial espionage; and other unlawful activities. This chapter discusses these actors and their multi-pronged legal and illegal pursuits—all in the furtherance of terror. Companies and Individuals Aid Terrorists There are several means by which companies assist terrorist groups and their members. Companies do so directly and indirectly. Sometimes , they help terrorists purposely. More often, however, they do so unwittingly. Corporations can provide: funding and launder money; employment for terrorists; accessibility to equipment and personnel; generic tools (e.g., trucks); instrumentalities of terror (e.g., dynamite or explosives); information about the local landmarks and prospective targets (e.g., 50 highlighting vulnerabilities and access to targets); training (e.g., flight schools for 9/11 hijackers); communications, resources, and contacts; work permits (e.g., immigration); and sponsorship (e.g., employment and resources). Terrorist groups also use front companies (which combine legitimate and illegal revenue) and shell companies (opaque firms used to hide legitimate owners’ interests) to finance terrorist operation. Osama bin Laden had an international network of companies that were used to generate funds for terrorist operations as well as employ terrorists. The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) earned funds from ownership of textile businesses and cattle raising. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) owned and operated metal works facilities in Lebanon during the 1980s. Sokoa, a furniture store in Hendaya, France, served as a base for the Basque Fatherland and Liberation terror group (ETA) in the 1980s. The Iranian government has used front companies, such as Tehranbased Kala Electric, to obtain materials and equipment for a fuel fabrication plant or enriched uranium facility. Pakistani scientists involved in the transfer of nuclear technology to Libya, Iran, and North Korea are believed to have used various companies, including Malaysian firms, to carry out their activities. Thousands of companies provide products and services to civilian and military segments of the government. As a result, the possibility exists that some firms are either terrorist sympathizers or unknowingly employ terrorist sleeper cell members. Also, it is not unlikely that an unscrupulous company (or employee) may provide tainted products (e.g., faulty gas masks or poison foodstuffs) or harmful services (e.g., poorly trained, bomb-sniffing dogs). Products and services are acquired for two purposes: traditional use by the law-abiding citizens or nontraditional use by terrorists (or other criminals). There are many suppliers of easily accessible basic products and services that terrorists may use to carry out their operations. Terrorist groups may obtain: wires, switches, and timers for bombs; fertilizers and chemicals for bombs; guns and rifles for assassinations and assaults; dynamite for explosive devices; knives for stabbings; cars and trucks for vehicle bombs; use of cell phones and pay phones with prepaid phone cards, and Internet cafes to communicate with other operatives ; video-cameras and cameras to scope-out a site; airline, bus, subway, and movie tickets for access to a target; access to malls, stores, and restaurants to conduct an attack or sabotage; and uniforms to impersonate a guard or hospital employee, allowing for access to targets. Terrorists and Supporters in the Economic System 51 s An example of the results of easy access to particular products by terrorists was demonstrated by ETA’s purchase of ammonium nitrate , aluminum, and sodium chloride to produce explosive materials in ETA’s own factories. ETA is also alleged to have produced rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers in secret workshops in France. An al Qaeda-linked terror group based in Turkey chose ammonia and fertilizer as principal ingredients in a bomb that was used against several Istanbul targets in November 2003. An Isuzu pickup truck carried one of the bombs to a target during that operation. Products Used in Furtherance of Terrorism Law enforcement’s capacity to monitor the acquisition of many products—aside from fertilizers, chemicals, guns, and dynamite—is undermined by the fact that thousands of transactions take place every day in the United States. Monitoring is further...