US embassy cable - 04MANAMA524

S E C R E T MANAMA 000524 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EB/ECS/ESP:GLASS, S/CT, IO/PHO:PEREZ, AND 
NEA/ARP 
TREASURY FOR GENERAL COUNSEL AUFHAUSER, OFAC: NEWCOMB AND 
TERRORIST FINANCING TASK FORCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2029 
TAGS: ETTC, EFIN, PTER, PREL, CVIS, KSEP, KVPR, BA 
SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCING - ZINDANI: ENFORCING UN 
SANCTIONS 
 
REF: STATE 79184 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert S. Ford for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (U)  On April 12, Charge delivered reftel demarche to 
Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Abdelghaffar requesting 
that the GOB redouble its efforts to locate and freeze all 
assets linked to Yemeni cleric Shaikh Zindani. 
 
2.  (C)  Minister Abdelghaffar seemed somewhat surprised that 
Zindani had been linked to terrorist activities and Al Qaeda. 
 The Minister firmly asserted that Zindani is first and 
foremost a scholar. He recalled when Zindani originally came 
to Saudi Arabia and traveled the region holding seminars on 
peaceful humanitarian subjects. Minister Abdelghaffar 
interrupted Charge several times asking if the USG was sure 
of its information on Zindani.  He reminded the Charge that 
the USG had used unreliable Israeli intelligence sources in 
the past.  Charge assured the Minister that the information 
on Zindani was accurate. Charge specifically requested that 
the GOB prevent Zindani's entry into Bahrain in order to 
hinder his fundraising capabilities for terrorist activities. 
 The Minister said he would prevent Zindani's entry into 
Bahrain but highly doubted that Zindani would be traveling 
through the region. 
FORD