Sheikh Gilani was at one point linked to a “mujahiding hub” that included an international network of Islamist terrorists, including Sheikh Abdul Majeed Al-Zindani in Yemen, according to a 1993 State Department intelligence document.
It reads:
“A close working relationship reportedly exists among [Gulbuddin] Hekmatyar, Egyptian Islamic Gama’at spiritual leader Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, Yemeni Islamic Jihad leader Sheikh Zindani and Sudanese National Islamic Front (NIF) leader Hassan al-Turabi. Sheikh Jilani, the leader of the Jama’at al-Fuqra based in Lahore, is also believed to have some ties to the mujahidin network. This circle of mutual admiration nurtures the network of safe havens, bases and logistical support.”[1]
Every single one of the terrorist allies of Sheikh Gilani listed above are closely linked to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. The memo said that Bin Laden was financing the “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman’s network in the United States by funneling money through Hassan al-Turabi’s National Islamic Front.[2]
An issue of the Fuqra/MOA newspaper from 1983 states that it has a “correspondent” in Yemen named Faqir Muhammad Ahmed Qadri.
The U.S. Treasury Department named Zindani as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in 2004 because of his involvement with Usama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. The Department said he was linked to Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish terrorist group in Iraq loyal to Al-Qaeda, and leads a radical university in Yemen known for producing terrorists.[3]
Zindani also has links to Hamas and the Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
[1] “The Wandering Mujahidin: Armed and Dangerous.” (1993). State Department Intelligence and Research Bureau.
[2] Id.
[3] “United States Designates Bin Laden Loyalist.” (2004). United States Department of Treasury. https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/js1190.aspx
