Global Arms Dealer and Financier of Terrorists Monzer Al Kassar Convicted

BY MICHAEL WEBSTER: SYNDICATED INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Nov 24, 2008 at 11:00 AM PST

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and MICHELE M. LEONHART, the Acting Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), announced that MONZER AL KASSAR, a/k/a "Abu Munawar," a/k/a "El Taous,"  an international arms dealer and financier of insurgents and terrorists across the globe and his cohort LUIS FELIPE MORENO GODOY. Both defendants were found guilty on all charges: conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals; conspiracy to murder U.S. officers and employees; conspiracy to acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles; conspiracy to provide material support and resources to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the "FARC"), a designated foreign terrorist organization; and money laundering. These recent convictions represent the first time anyone has been charged with and convicted of the anti-aircraft missile statute.

"Monzer al Kassar commanded a global munitions empire, arming and funding terrorists around the world, particularly those who wished to harm Americans," said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. "He operated in the shadows, the silent partner behind the business of death and terror. Kassar's capture is a testament to DEA's unique investigative skills and broad reach of its international intelligence network."

"Justice was served with the conviction of MONZER AL KASSAR as it formally puts an end to his ability to command a global munitions empire that armed and funded terrorist organizations for decades," said DEA Acting Administrator MICHELE M. LEONHART. "DEA is proud to have led the global effort that resulted in this guilty verdict against one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers."

According to the Indictment and other documents since the early 1970s, Kassar, an international weapons trafficker, has been a ready source of weapons and military equipment for armed factions engaged in violent conflicts around the world. Kassar has provided weapons and military equipment to such factions in Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq, among other countries. Some of these factions have included known terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), the goals of which included attacking United States interests and United States nationals.

To carry out his weapons-trafficking business, Kassar developed an international network of criminal associates, including co-defendants Ghazi and Moreno-Godoy, as well as front companies and bank accounts in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Syria, Iraq, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania. Additionally, Kassar has engaged in money-laundering transactions in bank accounts throughout the world to disguise the illicit nature of his criminal proceeds.

Between February 2006 and May 2007, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy agreed to sell to the FARC millions of dollars worth of weapons + - including thousands of machine guns, millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs), and surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs). During a series of recorded telephone calls, emails, and in-person meetings, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy agreed to sell the weapons to two confidential sources (CS) working with the DEA, who represented that they were acquiring these weapons for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons were to be used to attack United States helicopters in Colombia.

During their consensually recorded meetings, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy provided the CSs with, among other things: (1) a schematic of the vessel to be used to transport the weapons; (2) specifications for the SAMs they agreed to sell to the FARC; and (3) bank accounts in Spain and Lebanon that were ultimately used to conceal more than $400,000 from DEA undercover accounts that the CSs represented, and Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy believed, were FARC drug proceeds for the weapons deal. During their meetings with the CSs, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy reviewed Nicaraguan end-user certificates that were used to make the weapons deal appear legitimate. Kassar also promised to provide the FARC with ton-quantities of C4 explosives, as well as expert trainers from Lebanon to teach the FARC how to effectively use C4 and improvised explosive devices (commonly referred to as "IEDs"). In addition, Kassar offered to send a thousand men to fight with the FARC against United States military officers in Colombia.

U.S. Attorney Garcia praised the investigative efforts of the DEA, the Spanish National Police, and the Romanian Border Police. Garcia also thanked the Counterterrorism Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"Monzer Al Kassar has long been one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world. He has supported terrorists and insurgents by providing them with high?powered weapons that have fueled the most violent conflicts of the last three decades," said Garcia. "Today, Kassar and two of his criminal associates face charges for agreeing to arm a terrorist organization whose aim was to kill American citizens."

Assistant United States Attorneys BOYD M. JOHNSON III and BRENDAN R. McGUIRE where in charge of the prosecution.

Read the Indictment >>

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