Guy Reschenthaler, Wire Service Editor
The Behrend Beacon
Bush freezes assets of 27 organizations
by Martin Merzer
and Warren P. Strobel
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - Determined to
drain "the lifeblood of terrorist op
erations," President Bush froze the
assets of 27 people and organizations
Monday, and he threatened similar
action against foreign banks that
serve as financial vessels for terror
ists.
Among those on the government's
monetary hit list: renegade Saudi mil
lionaire Osama bin Laden, alleged
mastermind of the Sept. 11 massacre,
and at least six people or groups
aligned with him.
"We will starve the terrorists of
funding, turn them against each other,
rout them out of their safe hiding
places and bring them to justice,"
Bush said.
A few hours later, Attorney Gen
eral John Ashcroft announced that
federal agents have arrested or de
tained 352 people in the investigation
of the Sept. 11 airborne attacks by
suicide hijackers that killed at least
6,500 people.
The FBI also is seeking 392 other
people for questioning, Ashcroft told
the House Judiciary Committee. He
said the probe was "moving aggres
sively forward" and was examining
the possibility that the hijackers had
inside help.
The government grounded crop
dusting planes for a second day amid
fears that they could be used to launch
biological or chemical attacks.
Rebecca Trexler, FAA spokeswoman,
said all workers with access to secure
airport areas have been asked to have
their IDs re-checked. But they won't
require new criminal background
checks at this point because such
checks were already required for
workers hired after December 2000.
And, in a development that further
illustrated the magnitude of change
in the American psyche, representa
tives of the nation's 60,000 commer
cial pilots said they would ask Con
gress Tuesday to allow them to carry
firearms into their cockpits.
"We used to be against that, but that
was before Sept. 11," said John
Mazor, a spokesman for the pilots'
union. "We've gone from a passive
way of dealing with hijackers to what
we're calling an aggressive defense."
Halfway around the world, a defi
ant bin Laden surfaced - in the form
of a media statement - and urged fol
lowers to join "the battle of Islam in
this era against the new Jewish and
Christian crusader campaign that is
lead by the chief crusader Bush un
der the banner of the cross."
At the same time, Pakistan with
drew its diplomats from
Afghanistan's capital Kabul, leaving
that nation's Taliban leaders - and bin
Laden's protectors - increasingly iso
lated.
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WASHINGTON, DC - President Bush leads senior advisors Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff; Condoleeza Rice, National Security
Advisor; and John Ashcroft, Attorney General.
than 6,400 people still lost and pre
sumed dead in the ruins of the World
Trade Center. Family members soon
can apply for death certificates - even
if the remains of their loved ones have
not been found and identified.
The president's "Executive Order
on Terrorist Financing" prohibits all
U.S. citizens and businesses from con
tributing to or engaging in financial
transactions with bin Laden and oth
ers on the list. It also freezes any as
sets hoarded in the United States by
those on the list.
Bush described the action as the
first real shot of his broad, unconven
tional counter-offensive against those
who attacked America two weeks ago
or have triggered other terrorist ac
tions.
"A major thrust of our war on ter
rorism began with the stroke of a pen,"
he said. "Today, we have launched a
strike on the financial foundation of
the global terror network."
Still, the practical effect of the or
der was unclear, given that it seemed
unlikely that the groups or individu
als cited in the order raised or banked
substantial sums of money in the
United States.
Bush acknowledged that bin Laden
and other terrorists keep most of their
assets overseas, but he also placed
foreign financiers on notice: cooper
ate or else.
AMERICA'S
NEW WAR
Friday, September 28, 2001
If they do not block access to ter
rorist funds in foreign accounts, their
U.S. assets and transactions also will
be frozen
"If you do business with terrorists,
if you support or sponsor them, you
will not do business with the United
States of America," Bush said.
In effect, the order expanded the
Treasury Department's ability to un
dermine the financial foundations of
terrorist organizations. Previously,
the department's reach extended only
to terrorism in the Middle East; now
it stretches around the globe.
The administration said it already
has received help from Britain and
Switzerland, and it clearly was lob
bying for more.
"We're going to take this initiative
into the United Nations and try to get
additional resolutions that serve simi
lar purposes," said Secretary of State
Colin Powell. "All civilized nations
in the world understand that the civi
lized world has to go after terrorism."
The executive order lists about a
dozen terrorist leaders, including
Ayman al-Zawahri, bin Laden's chief
deputy, and about a dozen organiza
tions, including al-Qaida, bin Laden's
main network.
Also on the list: the Wafa Humani
tarian Organization and the Al Rashid
Trust. Both describe themselves as
charitable groups that provide food
or medical care to the poor, but the
administration called them terrorist
fronts.
"Money is the lifeblood of terrorist
operations," Bush said. "Today, we're
asking the world to stop payment."
In more visible financial circles, the
stock market staged a vigorous rally
after last week's dramatic sell-offs
motivated a key Wall Street analyst
to flash a buy signal.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
closed at 8,603.44, up 367.63 points.
The NASDAQ ended the day at
1,499.13, up 75.94 points.
Before the market opened, Abby
Joseph Cohen, chief investment strat
egist for Goldman, Sachs & Co., rec
ommended that investors increase the
stock portion of their portfolios to 75
percent from 70 percent. She said
many stocks were now undervalued.
More good news, at least in the
short term for consumers, came from
the oil industry, where global crude
oil prices fell to their lowest levels in
nearly two years. Sadly, analysts at
tributed that to sharp cuts in airline
operations and to weak prospects for
the global economy.
In the Middle East, bin Laden is
sued a statement broadcast by Qatar's
Al-Jazeera satellite television chan
nel, a frequent outlet for his remarks.
He urged supporters around the
PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER
PHOTOGRAPH BY CHUCK KENNEDY
world, and particularly in Pakistan, to
fight what he framed as "the Ameri
can crusade" against Islam. U.S. offi
cials have been careful to focus their
fury solely on bin Laden and other
terrorists, and to make clear that they
harbor no ill will toward Muslims.
Bin Laden also went out of his way
to praise Mullah Mohammed Omar,
the Taliban leader of Afghanistan and
bin Laden's strongest shield against
the West.
"I announce to you, our beloved
brothers, that we are steadfast on the
path of Jihad (holy war) with the he
roic, faithful Afghan people, under the
leadership of Mullah Mohammed
Omar," said the statement from bin
Laden, who has operated under
Taliban protection since 1996.
In other developments:
-U.S. troops and equipment kept
streaming toward the Persian Gulf
area, and the Air Force announced that
College students begin
anti-war protests
by Michelle Crouch
Knight Ridder Newspapers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As the
war drums grow louder in
Washington, an anti-war move
ment is emerging on college
campuses across the country.
Last week, students from
more than 150 colleges - from
UCLA to Harvard University -
staged a series of peace rallies,
candlelight vigils and petition
drives.
In the Carolinas, more than
180 Davidson College students
are painting messages of peace
onto cloth squares they are join
ing into a giant "Peace Quilt."
Others signed letters urging
American leaders "not to dupli
cate these horrors."
At Duke University, dozens
of students, faculty members
and staff participated in a peace
rally Friday with the slogan:
"No more victims."
The events, evoking muted
images of 1960 s activism, were
aimed at encouraging a re
strained response to the attacks
on the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon. The efforts are
united by what students call a
need for "peaceful justice."
"We wanted to bring people
together who are interested in
finding alternatives to war,"
said Chris Paul, a student orga
nizer at Duke. "We're not im
plying there shouldn't be any
action, but it should be with the
behrcolls@aol.com
it was activating a special rule that
allows it to suspend, for at least 30
days, all scheduled retirements and
separations from active service.
- New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani
acknowledged that virtually no hope
remains of finding survivors in the
trade center's rubble.
"I believe it is certainly time to say
chances of finding anyone alive
would involve a miracle," Giuliani
said. The toll at the World Trade Cen
ter stands at 276 bodies recovered and
6,453 people missing.
The mayor also announced that
starting Wednesday, family assistance
staffers will help relatives obtain
death certificates for those who per
ished - even if their bodies have not
been recovered.
- In another move to shore up Pa
kistan, the administration said it
would ask Congress to lift sanctions
imposed in 1999 after that nation's
military overthrew a democratically
elected government. That would al
low Washington to provide economic
and military assistance to the govern
ment of President Pervez Musharraf.
Other sanctions related to
Pakistan's and India's 1998 nuclear
tests were waived by Bush on Satur
day.
"We intend to support those who
support us," said State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher. "We
intend to work with those govern
ments that work with us in this fight."
- The Senate approved a long-de
layed free trade pact with Jordan, a
demonstration of support for a key
Middle East ally. The House ap
proved the measure nearly two
months ago.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin
said his nation would ship weapons
and military equipment to Afghan
rebels. He did not offer to contribute
troops to the U.S. anti-terrorist offen
sive, but he suggested that former
Soviet republics in Central Asia might
allow their airfields to be used.
- As a condition to joining a U.S.-
led coalition, Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak is demanding not
only persuasive evidence about bin
Laden or other suspects but also ad
vance notice about potential targets,
according to a Western diplomatic
awareness that others will be
hurt if we do take military ac-
tion."
Davidson students said they
considered a rally, but decided
a quilt would be more appropri
ate, said student organizer
Grant Bleecher.
"This is an opportunity for
students to use their creativity
and leave their mark," Bleecher
said. "We can hang it up and it
will be around for a while. We
hope it will get people to
think."
Bleecher said he's working to
get permission to hang the quilt
in the college's student center,
and he would eventually like to
rotate it to different locations.
Pieces were covered with
peace signs and quotes from
Mahatma Ghandi, Martin
Luther King Jr. and JFK. On
one, the words, "It's in our
hands," encircle a large globe.
Another is addressed to the
president: "Bush, only fools
rush in."
A third proclaims, 'THINK"
in bold white letters on a red
background.
"Retaliating with violence for
violence is just going to lead to
more violence," said Mary
Donoghue, 19, a sophomore
whose colorful square simply
reads, "Shalom." "The lives of
people in Afghanistan are just
as important as the lives of
people in New York."
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