Swiss terror probe suspension significant setback for Bush administration

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Probe Closed

The suspension of a Swiss investigation into a suspected Al Qaeda financier could affect Washington’s global battle against funders of terror.

By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Newsweek
Updated: 2:25 p.m. ET June 1, 2005

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8062039/site/newsweek/

June 1 - In a significant setback for the Bush administration's international crackdown on those it suspects of funding terrorism, Swiss prosecutors have "suspended" a long-running criminal investigation into Al Taqwa, an Islamic network that Washington believes has provided financing for Al Qaeda and other terror groups.

Youssef Nada, founder and head of Al Taqwa, told NEWSWEEK by telephone that his lawyer had received a letter from the Swiss federal attorney general's office earlier today informing him that an investigation which the office had launched in the weeks after the 9/11 attacks was to be closed. In an order issued earlier this year, a Swiss court had given the prosecutor's office until May 31 to either present the results of its investigation to a judge for further proceedings or close the file.

Mark Wiedmer, spokesman for the Swiss Attorney General's office in Bern, said that the investigation was not absolutely terminated but "suspended" because it could be restarted if new evidence was acquired by Swiss authorities. But Wiedmer acknowledged that prosecutors concluded that after three and a half years of investigation they could not put together enough evidence in time for the May 31 deadline to convince a federal investigating magistrate that a criminal case against Nada and Al Taqwa could be taken to trial. Hence the investigation had to be closed for now.

By the same token, Wiedmer said, "We don't say they (Nada and Al Taqwa) are innocent." The lengthy investigation, he argued, was a "qualified success" because prosecutors now know "what's the matter (with Al Taqwa), we know what's not the matter and we know where we don't know what's the matter."

[leveymg]

1. Back to business as usual in Bern. Prefer a password or passkey acc't?

Nada is the banker emeritus to the Muslim Brotherhood. He had just too many friends in all sorts of places for the Swiss investigation to have been pursued to its logical conclusion.

Of course, the Treasury Dept. and DHS/CIA/NSA have access to the same information. Since 9/11, they haven't really done anything to follow the money trail to the top financiers of the global drug/money/terrorism network either. Gee, I wonder why?:shrug:

[formercia]

2. They might peek under the wrong rock

and not like who they find.

[leveymg]

3. Or, they might find someone they like and work for. n/t

Some of the worst miscreants who botched pre-9/11 conter-terrorism investigations were promoted after Bush's reelection to head the unified internal security apparatus of the United States. Who better to protect the highest levels?B-) :dunce: :+ B-) :evilgrin: :bounce:

[meg]

4. Yeah, right

Don't throw me into that brier patch. So, does anyone else think that damaging info on Bush-drug money-Sibel Edmonds info was about to be revealed?