The United States has imposed sanctions against a Kenyan suspected to be financing terrorist activities.
Waleed Ahmed Zein reportedly runs a global financial network in support of operations of the terrorist organization ISIS.
In a statement, the US department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) describes Zein as a dangerous terrorist.
“Zein is a dangerous terrorist who has established an intricate network of financial facilitators for ISIS using hawalas and intermediaries to fund their deadly ambitions.”
“This administrations is committed to targeting ISIS facilitators and their underground network wherever they operate,” stated Sigal Mandekler, Treasury Under Secretary for terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Zein is said to have transacted more than $150,000 (Sh15 million) through this network in 2017 and early this year, cash that was channeled to Isis fighters in Central Africa, Syria, Libya and other countries in Asia, Europe ,Africa and the Americas.
The US says that Zein deposited huge amounts of money in a personal account, which he claimed to have earned from an automobile spare parts company owned by his father.
In July, police in Kenya arrested Zein on terrorism financing charges alongside his associate, Ms Halima Adan Ali. The two were arraigned in Court and were charged with 10 counts of facilitating acts of terrorism.
They were however freed on a Sh1 million bail each and were ordered to report once a month to the officer in charge of the Kenyan Police Anti-Terror Unit.
The action blocks any financial or property interests Zein may directly hold in the US or through American citizens.
