Specially Designated Terrorist
Encyclopedia
A Specially Designated Terrorist is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to be a specially designated terrorist (SDT) under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC).
The U.S. government began to use economic sanctions against international terrorists in 1995. The lead agency in the effort has been OFAC, under the U.S. Treasury Department.
Executive Order 12947, issued by President Bill Clinton
on January 23, 1995, prohibits financial transactions with any SDT. Twelve organizations and 18 people were identified in the Order as threatening disruption of the Middle East peace process. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Attorney General were given the power to add other organizations and people to the list. On August 20, 1998, President Clinton expanded the list by Executive Order 13099.
All of the assets of all SDTs were frozen. In addition, transfers of "funds, goods, or services" to SDTs were prohibited. Also, any U.S. entity that holds any funds in which any interest is held in an SDT was required under the law to report its interest to appropriate U.S. authorities. The sanctions apply to any entity "owned or controlled by", or acting on behalf of, an SDT. They also apply to foreign branches of U.S. entities, but not to subsidiaries formed under non-U.S. law.
On January 25, 1995, Hamas
and Hezbollah were listed as SDTs, Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook was added in August 1995, Osama bin Laden
was added in 1998, and on December 4, 2001, OFAC designated the Holy Land Foundation as an SDT. On February 28, 2006, Sami Al-Arian
signed a plea agreement in which he agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy
to contribute services to or for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a SDT organization, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; he was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
The SDT list appears in the Federal Register
, which is updated regularly.
Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury under the auspices of the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. OFAC administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S...
(OFAC).
The U.S. government began to use economic sanctions against international terrorists in 1995. The lead agency in the effort has been OFAC, under the U.S. Treasury Department.
Executive Order 12947, issued by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on January 23, 1995, prohibits financial transactions with any SDT. Twelve organizations and 18 people were identified in the Order as threatening disruption of the Middle East peace process. The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Attorney General were given the power to add other organizations and people to the list. On August 20, 1998, President Clinton expanded the list by Executive Order 13099.
All of the assets of all SDTs were frozen. In addition, transfers of "funds, goods, or services" to SDTs were prohibited. Also, any U.S. entity that holds any funds in which any interest is held in an SDT was required under the law to report its interest to appropriate U.S. authorities. The sanctions apply to any entity "owned or controlled by", or acting on behalf of, an SDT. They also apply to foreign branches of U.S. entities, but not to subsidiaries formed under non-U.S. law.
On January 25, 1995, Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
and Hezbollah were listed as SDTs, Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook was added in August 1995, Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
was added in 1998, and on December 4, 2001, OFAC designated the Holy Land Foundation as an SDT. On February 28, 2006, Sami Al-Arian
Sami Al-Arian
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian , is a former resident of Temple Terrace, Florida, now living in Northern Virginia, who is a Muslim activist, and former University of South Florida professor of computer engineering...
signed a plea agreement in which he agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to contribute services to or for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a SDT organization, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371; he was sentenced to 57 months in prison.
The SDT list appears in the Federal Register
Federal Register
The Federal Register , abbreviated FR, or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains most routine publications and public notices of government agencies...
, which is updated regularly.