Terror Finance Worries May Curb Doha Kidnap Mediation

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“To some extent US officials already knew about this trend,” says David Weinberg, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who recently testified before the US Congress on this issue. “However, the Treasury Department and Members of Congress are certainly concerned about Qatar's support for Hamas and other jihadist groups, so the latest ransom revelations may bolster the case for those in Washington who … seek to designate Qatar or Qatari officials as sponsors of terrorism.”

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Private citizens in Doha are also believed to be involved in financing terrorist groups, and Qatar is already under pressure to reform what Mr. Weinberg describes as “a permissive jurisdiction for illicit and terrorist finance.”

Last December, the US Treasury listed Qatar University professor Abdulrahman al-Nuaymi as having supported groups in Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. Doha “did little to restrain him despite being well aware of his radical profile,” says Weinberg.