US sanctions on Hezbollah's financial 'supporters'

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two African-based alleged financial backers of the Islamist group Hezbollah, which is classified a terrorist group by Washington.

The Treasury Department said it had designated Kassim Tajideen and Abd Al Menhem Qubaysi under a law that freezes the assets of alleged terrorists and their backers and prohibits Americans from having any transactions with them.

Iran-backed Hezbollah is a Shiite militant group which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006. A Treasury statement said Tajideen was "an important financial contributor to Hezbollah who operates a network of businesses in Lebanon and Africa."

It accused him of channeling the funds through his brother, which it claimed was a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. Tajideen and his brothers were also alleged to have run "cover companies" for Hezbollah in Africa.

In 2003, Tajideen was arrested in Belgium in connection with fraud, money laundering and diamond smuggling, the statement said.

Qubaysi, an Ivory Coast-based Hezbollah supporter, is a personal representative of the group's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah and has hosted senior Hezbollah officials traveling to Africa to raise money, the statement said.