“Freedom Flotilla” Organiser Investigated For Al Qaeda Funding

Oh what a surprise. Via Hurriyet:

Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH) President Bülent Yıldırım is being investigated for allegedly financing al-Qaeda through his organization, daily Habertürk has reported.

The probe, led by an Istanbulspecially authorized prosecutor, accuses Yıldırım of “providing financial aid to al-Qaeda via his foundation” with absolute secrecy, reportedly without official numbering and identification.

A Diyarbakır specially authorized prosecutor has also been leading a similar case into Yıldırım, Habertürk reported.

The Jerusalem Post adds this background:

According to the Israeli NGO The Intelligence and Information Center, the IHH is affiliated with Hamas and the Union of the Good, an Islamic umbrella affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

In 2006, a report issued by the Danish Institute for International Studies stated that during the 1990s the IHH maintained links with al-Qaida and a number of “global jihad networks.” The report also said that the Turkish government launched an investigation into the IHH starting December 1997 after receiving intelligence that the IHH had bought automatic weapons from Islamist terrorists.

The report said that following the revelation, the Turkish government launched a raid on the organization’s Istanbul offices, where they found weapons, explosives, and instructions for bomb-making. The report added that an examination of documents found at the IHH office indicated that the group was planning to take part in terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Bosnia.

According to the study, a French intelligence report found that in the mid-1990s Yildirim recruited soldiers for jihad activities in a number of Muslim countries and that the IHH transferred money, firearms, and explosives to jihadists in said countries.

The nature of IHH was well known, and reported on at the time. Given its jihadist politics, the declarations of martyrdom which proceeded its voyage, and the racist chants of Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews! The army of Mohammed will return which saw the venture off, it was very clear that a violent confrontation with Israel was the key purpose of the voyage.

It made no difference to British Parliamentarians, 168 of whom – of all parties – signed this Early Day Motion. The tally, per party, was as follows:

Tories – 9
Lib Dems – 29
Labour – 115

And it made no difference either to Netanyahu who – according to a State Comptroller report released this week – was also given clear warnings about what was likely to happen when this jihadist convoy reached the Israeli blockade, and who utterly fluffed the response.