“Yesterday, Argentina’s Unidad de Informaciὀn Financiera de la República Argentina (UIF-AR) took courageous action to freeze assets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization and list them on a public registry pursuant to a new law just instituted by the Marci government of Argentina to designate, sanction, and publicly list terrorist organizations along with the individuals and entities connected to them. I commend Argentina’s strong and unbreakable resolve to take action against terrorism and suppress terrorist financing.
The people of the United States and the people of Argentina share a tragic pain. Argentines and Americans know the suffering that comes from the loss of loved ones due to cowardly terrorist acts. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the devastating Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) bombing in Argentina that cost the lives of 85 innocent people and left 500 injured, the UIF-AR has taken bold action to seek justice and ensure that terrorists face dire consequences. Both of our nations have learned the hard lesson that financial vigilance and effective regulations can save lives and keep our people safe.
FinCEN is proud of the work we are doing together with our Argentine partners, including our collaboration to assist and support the UIF-AR’s action against the Hezbollah-linked ‘Clan Barakat,’ a criminal organization infamous for its suspected involvement in smuggling, counterfeiting, extortion, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, money laundering, and terrorist financing. We continue to value our strong partnership and shared commitment to fight terrorism and the financing that supports it.”