US designates 3 men in Brazil as affiliated with al-Qaeda

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated three men in Brazil as members of al-Qaeda on Wednesday and said they were supporting the terrorist group.

The three men gave technological and financial support to the terrorist group, said the Treasury Department.

“The activities of this Brazil-based network demonstrate that al-Qaeda remains a pervasive global terrorist threat, and today’s designations will help deny the group access to the formal financial system,” Treasury Undersecretary Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

“The United States is committed to working with our foreign partners, including Brazil, to dismantle al-Qaeda’s  financial support networks.”

The Treasury Department said that all of the property and interests of the three men and their companies in the United States are to be blocked and reported.

The three men designated were Haytham Ahmad Shukri Ahmad Al-Maghrabi, al-Qaeda’s main contact in the country, Mohamed Sherif Mohamed Awadd, who received wire transfers from other al-Qaeda members in the country, and Ahmal Al-Khatib.

The Treasury Department said the designation of the men is part of an effort to stop the international financing of the terrorist group.

“Al-Qaeda continues to pose a threat to the United States and other nations worldwide. Al-Qaeda and its regional affiliates generate their funding from individual fundraisers in Gulf countries and supporters throughout the world. As al-Qaeda generates almost all its revenue outside of the United States, the U.S. government has aggressively utilized financial tools to limit al-Qaeda’s funding streams globally,” said the statement.