Arrest of major Hezbollah financier on US most-wanted list in Bucharest
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – US federal authorities said a Belgian-Lebanese citizen, considered a key financier of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia-turned-political party was apprehended on Friday, in Romania’s capital and is set to be handed over later to authorities in New York.
Romanian authorities detained Muhammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 58, after arriving in Bucharest on Friday.
The US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York stated that Bazzi transferred millions of dollars to Hezbollah.
In 2018, the US designated him as a global terrorist and offered $10 million in return for information about his location.
Muhammad Bazzi was thought to have secretly moved hundreds of thousands of dollars from the US to Lebanon without detection by law enforcement. “Today’s arrest proves that Bazzi was wrong,” United States Attorney stated.
The charges included “conspiracy to cause U.S. individuals to conduct unlawful transactions with a global terrorist and money laundering conspiracy.”
According to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Bazzi is considered a key financer of Hezbollah and provided millions of dollars to the group over the years, generated by his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq, and throughout West Africa.
As a result of the designation, Bazzi’s interest in any property in the US was blocked, and all US citizens were prohibited from transacting business with, or for the benefit of, Bazzi.
According to the indictment list, each charge was punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The judicial authorities noted that, until now, these were only allegations and he would have to be found guilty in a court.