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Charity Funds Said to Provide Clues to Alleged Terrorist Plot
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Paul Wilkinson, director of the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said reports that Jamaat-ud-Dawa funded the suspects in the terrorism plot are "very, very credible."
The organization "is recognized as being an important source of funding," he said. "I think authorities feel that quite a bit of money has passed through their hands."
"We know charities are used for this kind of terrorist purpose very often," Wilkinson said.
A spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Abdullah Muntazer, disputed reports that his group had funded suspects in the alleged plot in Britain and said, "We condemn every kind of terrorism." The organization is "totally based in Pakistan" and has no network or affiliations with Britain, he said. Jamaat-ud-Dawa operates charities, runs more than 100 schools and clinics, and has about 1,000 offices in Pakistan, Muntazer said.
"So the government of Pakistan is totally convinced and aware of our activities, and there is no investigation," he said.
Muntazer confirmed that Hafeez Muhammad Sayeed, an official with the organization, was recently placed under house arrest but said it did not have anything to do with the alleged London plot. Muntazer said the group has wanted to stage rallies in Pakistan but the government opposes the plan, which led to the arrest.
"This was a bone of contention, so the government put him under house arrest to keep him from holding the public gathering," he said.
Also Monday, Muslim leaders met with Ruth Kelly, the British secretary of state for communities and local government. The Muslim Council of Britain called for a "reassessment" of British foreign policy, particularly in terms of Iraq and the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, to see "whether they're working or not," according to the organization's spokesman, Inayat Bunglawala.
Many Muslims in Britain have contended that the country's Middle East policy has inflamed radicalism and has put civilians at risk of further terrorist attacks.
Khan reported from Karachi, Pakistan.
