PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The state is moving to deem a Trinidadian convicted in the U.S. a terrorist and obtain a freezing order of his assets and any transaction done on his behalf.
The unprecedented action against convicted JFK bomb plotter Kareem Ibrahim, which is being pursued under the Anti-Terrorism Act, follows the collaborative efforts of local and foreign law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The application comes on the heels of numerous reports of Trinidadians’ involvement with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and a fresh wave of calls for action to be taken against the foreign terrorist fighters in the wake of the recent ISIS attack in Paris.
News of the move had been announced hours earlier by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi during a media conference following the opening session of the Caribbean Action Financial Task Force (CFATF) plenary meeting at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, where a prayer was said in French and a minute’s silence was observed for the victims of the Paris attacks.
Confirming that the application related specifically to terrorism, Al-Rawi said: “As incoming AG I met an application which was languishing and in respect of which there had been a conviction.”
On the issue of the designation of foreign terrorist fighters and how the authorities can treat with it nationally, the AG said it was an international law issue and that talks are being held on whether one was allowed to bar the entry of alleged foreign terrorist fighters.