14/10/2004

Funds linked to Bigley killers ordered to be frozen

The Chancellor has today ordered financial institutions to freeze any funds held on behalf of the terror group that beheaded British engineer in Ken Bigley in Iraq last week.

Under the terrorism order 2001, it will now be a criminal offence for any financial institution to hold or facilitate funds held by Jama'at al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad. The group is led by Jordanian militant Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi.

Gordon Brown said: "We must do all in our power to ensure there is no hiding place for terrorists and no hiding place for those who finance terrorism."

The instructions were issued through the Bank of England as agent for The Treasury.

A video showing Mr Bigley's murder was released last week. The 62-year-old Briton is shown, flanked by six masked men, making a statement to the camera before his execution. He was killed in Latifiya, a small town southwest of the capital Baghdad.

The Briton was seized on September 16, along with Americans Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley. Mr Armstrong and Mr Hensley were beheaded shortly after being taken into captivity.

Elsewhere, the US Central Command has reported that a centre for Abu Musab al Zarqawi linked terrorist has been destroyed following a precision airstrike.

A location in central Fallujah was destroyed by coalition forces on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the US military said: "Zarqawi continues to pose a threat to the safety and stability of Fallujah and Iraq. In order to gain more media attention and sway public opinion, Zarqawi has increasingly used suicide bombings, mortar attacks, shootings, kidnappings and beheadings that have claimed hundreds of lives in Iraq in recent months."

(gmcg/mb)

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