A Syrian national, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, has been charged with diverting over $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid intended for Syrian civilians to terrorist organizations, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF) affiliated with al Qaeda. The 53-year-old was indicted on 12 counts for allegedly defrauding the U.S. government and providing aid to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Al Hafyan, posing as the head of a non-governmental organization (NGO), had access to U.S.-funded humanitarian aid and managed 160 NGO employees at a station in Syria. The NGO he led received $122 million between January 2015 and November 2018 to provide food and medical supplies in the war-torn country.
Working with co-conspirators, Al Hafyan directed food kits worth millions of dollars to ANF commanders, who aimed to overthrow the Syrian regime through violent means. To cover their tracks, they falsified beneficiary logs and inflated the number of food kits distributed to war-affected families in Syrian villages.
Allegations state that Al Hafyan coerced NGO employees to comply with the fraudulent activities, threatening those who refused and forcing them to donate portions of their salaries to support the terrorist organization. Additionally, he sold humanitarian kits on the black market for personal gain.
The FBI's Counterterrorism Division in the Washington Field Office emphasized the severity of the charges, highlighting the years of investigative work that led to the public indictment. Authorities are taking action against Al Hafyan for his involvement in diverting crucial aid meant for humanitarian efforts to support violent terrorist activities.
