6 oct 2012
Hamas slams US treasury for sanctioning two Palestinian charities
The Hamas Movement strongly denounced the US treasury department for labeling Al-Quds international foundation and the welfare association for Palestinian and Lebanese families-al-Waqifya as terrorist organizations and banning its citizens from dealing with them.
In a press release on Saturday, Hamas highlighted that these organizations are not its affiliates and are known for their humanitarian activities.
Hamas said this decision is consistent with the Zionist agenda and would augment the suffering of the Palestinians at home and abroad.
It expressed its belief that the decision was made in compliance with pressures by the Zionist lobby and the double standard policy pursued by the US against the Palestinian people who are exposed to daily terrorism by Israel and its extremist groups.
"As we reiterate that Hamas Movement has nothing to do with these two institutions, we appeal to the US department of the treasury to backtrack from its unjust verdict and we call upon the organization of Islamic cooperation, the Arab League, the concerned human rights groups and the world's free people to take action against this decision which is in favor of the occupation and its schemes."
In a press release on Saturday, Hamas highlighted that these organizations are not its affiliates and are known for their humanitarian activities.
Hamas said this decision is consistent with the Zionist agenda and would augment the suffering of the Palestinians at home and abroad.
It expressed its belief that the decision was made in compliance with pressures by the Zionist lobby and the double standard policy pursued by the US against the Palestinian people who are exposed to daily terrorism by Israel and its extremist groups.
"As we reiterate that Hamas Movement has nothing to do with these two institutions, we appeal to the US department of the treasury to backtrack from its unjust verdict and we call upon the organization of Islamic cooperation, the Arab League, the concerned human rights groups and the world's free people to take action against this decision which is in favor of the occupation and its schemes."
21 aug 2012
US seizes $150 million from Lebanese bank in laundering scheme
By Basil Katz
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- US authorities said on Monday that they had seized $150 million from a Lebanese bank suspected of being at the heart of international money-laundering schemes linked to the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
In February 2011, the US Treasury department designated the Lebanese Canadian Bank as a "primary money-laundering concern." The privately owned bank was subsequently merged with the Lebanese subsidiary of Societe Generale.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the US Drug Enforcement Administration accused bank officials of knowingly participating in a scheme in which money from various individuals and companies in Beirut was sent from Lebanon to purchase used cars in the United States. The cars were then sold in West Africa, and Hezbollah-linked groups would help smuggle the proceeds into Lebanon, authorities said.
Hezbollah was founded with Iran's help after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Washington considers Hezbollah to be a terrorist group. US officials say that it has become increasingly involved in the drug trade, facilitating the distribution and sale of cocaine in West Africa.
The money seized was held in corresponding accounts at five different banks in the United States, including Citibank and London-based bank Standard Chartered. The five banks have not been accused of any wrongdoing.
An attorney for the Lebanese Canadian Bank did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- US authorities said on Monday that they had seized $150 million from a Lebanese bank suspected of being at the heart of international money-laundering schemes linked to the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
In February 2011, the US Treasury department designated the Lebanese Canadian Bank as a "primary money-laundering concern." The privately owned bank was subsequently merged with the Lebanese subsidiary of Societe Generale.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the US Drug Enforcement Administration accused bank officials of knowingly participating in a scheme in which money from various individuals and companies in Beirut was sent from Lebanon to purchase used cars in the United States. The cars were then sold in West Africa, and Hezbollah-linked groups would help smuggle the proceeds into Lebanon, authorities said.
Hezbollah was founded with Iran's help after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Washington considers Hezbollah to be a terrorist group. US officials say that it has become increasingly involved in the drug trade, facilitating the distribution and sale of cocaine in West Africa.
The money seized was held in corresponding accounts at five different banks in the United States, including Citibank and London-based bank Standard Chartered. The five banks have not been accused of any wrongdoing.
An attorney for the Lebanese Canadian Bank did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
10 aug 2012
New US-Israeli computer virus targets Lebanese banks
Experts say the new US-Israeli virus, Gauss, which has been detected in many computers in Lebanese banks, is written by the same programmers who created Flame.
A Russian computer security firm has discovered a new “state-sponsored computer virus,” co-developed by Tel Aviv and Washington, which targets the computers of specific major banks in Lebanon.
According to a Thursday New York Times article, the Kapersky Lab said the virus appeared to have been written by the same programmers who created Flame, a data-mining computer virus, and it might be linked to the Stuxnet virus, the virus that was intended to disrupt Iran’s nuclear energy program in 2010.
The same paper confirmed in a June article that Stuxnet was jointly developed by the United States and Israeli government.
Iranian authorities have always maintained that the Stuxnet virus was detected in time by Iranian IT and nuclear experts and had no effect on the country’s nuclear energy program.
The latest virus, nicknamed Gauss, has reportedly been detected in hundreds of computers in Lebanon with an apparent aim of acquiring “logins for e-mail and instant messaging accounts, social networks and, notably, accounts at certain banks.”
The report further revealed that targeted banks included several major Lebanese banks such as the Bank of Beirut, BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank and Credit Libanais, as well as Citibank.
“We have never seen any malware target such a specific range of banks,” said Costin Raiu, Kaspersky’s director of global research and analysis.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Gauss and Flame were printed by the same factories,” added Raiu.
“An early version of Stuxnet used a module from Flame, which shows they are connected. Stuxnet was created by a nation-state - it simply could not have been designed without nation-state support - which means Flame and Gauss were created with nation-state support as well.”
The report further quotes Kaspersky researchers as saying that the Gauss virus contained a “warhead” that “seeks a very specific computer system with no Internet connection and installs itself only if it finds one.”
A Russian computer security firm has discovered a new “state-sponsored computer virus,” co-developed by Tel Aviv and Washington, which targets the computers of specific major banks in Lebanon.
According to a Thursday New York Times article, the Kapersky Lab said the virus appeared to have been written by the same programmers who created Flame, a data-mining computer virus, and it might be linked to the Stuxnet virus, the virus that was intended to disrupt Iran’s nuclear energy program in 2010.
The same paper confirmed in a June article that Stuxnet was jointly developed by the United States and Israeli government.
Iranian authorities have always maintained that the Stuxnet virus was detected in time by Iranian IT and nuclear experts and had no effect on the country’s nuclear energy program.
The latest virus, nicknamed Gauss, has reportedly been detected in hundreds of computers in Lebanon with an apparent aim of acquiring “logins for e-mail and instant messaging accounts, social networks and, notably, accounts at certain banks.”
The report further revealed that targeted banks included several major Lebanese banks such as the Bank of Beirut, BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank and Credit Libanais, as well as Citibank.
“We have never seen any malware target such a specific range of banks,” said Costin Raiu, Kaspersky’s director of global research and analysis.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Gauss and Flame were printed by the same factories,” added Raiu.
“An early version of Stuxnet used a module from Flame, which shows they are connected. Stuxnet was created by a nation-state - it simply could not have been designed without nation-state support - which means Flame and Gauss were created with nation-state support as well.”
The report further quotes Kaspersky researchers as saying that the Gauss virus contained a “warhead” that “seeks a very specific computer system with no Internet connection and installs itself only if it finds one.”