[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.