    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 7, 2001]
    [Pages 1352-1353]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in Vienna, Virginia
    November 7, 2001

        The United States is pressing the war against terror on every front,
    from the mountains of Afghanistan to the bank accounts of terrorist
    organizations. The first strike in the war against terror targeted the
    terrorists' financial support. We put the world's financial institutions
    on notice: If you do business with terrorists, if you support them or
    sponsor them, you will not do business with the United States of
    America.
        Today we are taking another step in our fight against evil. We are
    shutting down two major elements of the terrorists' international
    financial network, both at home and abroad. Ours is not a war just of
    soldiers and aircraft. It's a war fought with

    [[Page 1353]]

    diplomacy, by the investigations of law enforcement, by gathering
    intelligence, and by cutting off the terrorists' money.
        I want to thank Secretary Paul O'Neill
    for being here today and for being the leader of this fine organization.
    I want to thank the Director, Jim Sloan, as
    well. You're doing some imaginative work here at the Financial Crimes
    Enforcement Network, and I want to thank all the fine Americans who are
    on the frontline of our war, the people who work here.
        I want to thank Secretary Colin Powell
    for being here, as well. He's doing a magnificent job of stitching
    together one of the greatest coalitions ever, a coalition of nations
    that stands for freedom. And I want to thank our Attorney
    General for coming--the man whose job it is to
    make sure that any time we find anybody inside our country who will
    threaten an American, threaten our institutions, they will be brought to
    justice. And that's exactly what our Nation is doing.
        Acting on solid and credible evidence, the Treasury Department of
    the United States today blocked the U.S. assets of 62 individuals and
    organizations connected with two terror-supporting financial networks,
    the Al Taqwa and the Al Barakaat. Their offices have been shut down in
    four U.S. States. And our G-8 partners and other friends, including the
    United Arab Emirates, have joined us in blocking assets and coordinating
    enforcement action.
        Al Taqwa is an association of offshore banks and financial
    management firms that have helped Al Qaida shift money around the world.
    Al Barakaat is a group of money-wiring and communication companies owned
    by a friend and supporter of Usama bin
    Laden. Al Taqwa and Al Barakaat raise funds
    for Al Qaida; they manage, invest, and distribute those funds. They
    provide terrorist supporters with Internet service, secure telephone
    communications, and other ways of sending messages and sharing
    information. They even arrange for the shipment of weapons.
        They present themselves as legitimate businesses. But they skim
    money from every transaction for the benefit of terrorist organizations.
    They enable the proceeds of crime in one country to be transferred to
    pay for terrorist acts in another.
        The entry point to these networks may be a small storefront
    operation, but follow the network to its center and you discover wealthy
    banks and sophisticated technology, all at the service of mass
    murderers. By shutting these networks down, we disrupt the murderers'
    work.
        Today's action interrupts Al Qaida's communications. It blocks an
    important source of funds. It provides us with valuable information and
    sends a clear message to global financial institutions: You are with us,
    or you are with the terrorists. And if you're with the terrorists, you
    will face the consequences.
        We fight an enemy who hides in caves in Afghanistan and in the
    shadows within in our own society. It's an enemy who can only survive in
    darkness. Today we've taken another important action to expose the enemy
    to the light and to disrupt its ability to threaten America and innocent
    life.
        I'm proud of the actions of our agencies. We're making a difference.
    We're slowly but surely tightening the noose, and we will be victorious.
        Now it's my honor to welcome the Secretary of Treasury, Paul
    O'Neill.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:52 p.m. in the Financial Crimes
    Enforcement Network Office's Multimedia Room. In his remarks, he
    referred to Shaykh Ahme Nur Jimale, founder, Al Barakaat; and Usama bin
    Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization.The Office of the
    Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these
    remarks.