The Golden Chain

The "Golden Chain" or a list purported sponsors of al Qaeda that was seized in March of 2002 raid by Bosnian police authorities of the premises of the Benevolence International Foundation in Sarajevo. The list includes at least 20 top Saudi and Gulf State financial sponsors including bankers, businessmen, and former ministers. Part of the list included computer file titles "Tarekh Osama" or "Osama History", but the appellation "Golden Chain" itself is due to al Qaeda defector Jamal al-Fadl, who vouched for its authenticity; the FBI later also pronounced the document as genuine.

Most accounts are vague on what year the Golden Chain document was written; some say 1988. but US government counterterrorism advisor Richard Clarke says it dates from 1989. The "Golden Chain" was presented by the United States Government case USA v. Arnaout filed on January 29, 2003 and in other legal filings, which would cause its veracity and meaning to be brought under further scrutiny.

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From a recent post at the Shimron Letters:

While the Golden Chain List been set aside in several court cases where it has been used as evidence of al Qaeda connections, even as last as 2006, this does not mean that the names and companies found on the list are not of interest in on going investigations into al Qaeda funding.-Shimron Issachar

Shimron goes on to quote an article from Free Press, but a distillation of the company and people names follow:

Saleh Abdullah Kamel.

• Confirmation that the Bin Laden family has been a major contributor to Usama, despite its statements denying such support
• Involvement of bankers representing the three largest Saudi banks
• (National Commercial Bank, Riyad Bank, Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Corp)
• Involvement of former oil ministers Sheikh Yamani and Taher-Involvement of most of them in charity organizations as founders or board members

• AL QAIDA DONORSSULEIMAN AL-RASHIDAl-Rashid Trading & Contracting (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

ABDEL QADER BAKRI (ABDULKADER [AL] BAKRI)CEO, Bakri Group of CosCEO, Al Bakri International Power Co. Ltd (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

• CEO, Al-Bakri Shipping Group (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• CEO, Alkhomasia Shipping and Maintenance Company Ltd (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• CEO, Red Sea Marine Services (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• CEO, Diners Club International (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• Bakri Group formed in April 2002
• a JV with the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) to operate in Middle-East countries, including Yemen. MISC leased super tanker MT Limburg when it was attacked on October 6, 2002, coming from Ra's Tannura (Saudi Arabia).

BIN LADEN BROTHERS Saudi Binladin Group (SBG)

• Bakr Bin Laden

YOUSIF JAMEEL (YOUSSEF [YOUSEF] JAMEEL)

• CEO, Abdul Lateef Jameel Group (donated SR8 million to support Saudi Red Crescent Society's relief work in Kosovo in 1999)
• Former Board member, major shareholder, Global Natural Resources Inc. (Houston, Texas)

IBRAHIM AFANDI (IBRAHIM MUHAMMAD AFANDI)

• Board member, Ibn Baz Foundation (President: Prince Salman, VP: Abdulaziz bin Fahd
• Board member, IIROChairman, Al Afandi Establishment (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• CEO Al Afandi Germany (Frankenberg)
• CEO, Sky Muzn Holding Co. BV (Netherlands)
• CEO, Saudi Industrial Services Company (Sisco) with partners Xenel Industries and Dallah Al Baraka
• Founder, Great Saudi Development & Investment Co. (GSDIC)
• Founder, Arabian Company for Development and Investment Limited (ACDIL)
• Chairman, National Committee of Saudi Contractors
• Partner, African Company (Sudan), with Al Rajhi Bank and Dallah Al Baraka
• Former General manager and shareholder of Al Amoudi Group
• Owner, Gang Ranch (Canada), second largest ranch in North America
• Owner, Skylight Corp, Georgia, USA
• Owner, BSA Investments (complaint from LTV Steel Company, Inc) US address: 6914 Los Verdes Dr Apt 6, Rch Palos Vrd, CA 90275

SALEH KAMEL (SALEH ABDULLAH KAMEL) Born in 1941, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

• CEO, Dallah Al Baraka (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) - 3rd largest Saudi company
• Chairman Arab Radio & Television (ART)
• Founding member and shareholder, Al Shamal Islamic Bank (Khartoum, Sudan
• Partner, Tamlik Company Ltd (with Mohamed Binladen Co., Saleh Bin Laden)
• Shareholder, Jordan Islamic Bank
• Vice Chairman Bank Al Jazira Founder, Iqraa International FoundationAL-RAJHI (SULEIMAN ABDULAZIZ AL RAJHI)
• Board member, IIROBoard member, Ibn Baz Foundation
• CEO, Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Company (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) - 9th largest Saudi company, 4th largest Saudi commercial bank

AL-JUMAIH (MOHAMMAD BIN ABDULLAH AL-JOMAIH)

• Board member IIRO
• Board member, Ibn Baz Foundation
• Member of the Committee for collection of donations for supporting the Intifada (Chairman Prince Salman
• Chairman First Islamic Investment Bank+300 companies
• Al Birr donor
• Bosnia donor

AL-SHARBATLY (ABDULRAHMAN HASSAN [ABBAS] SHARBATLY)

• Founder and board member, Riyad Bank (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) - 7th largest Saudi company and 2nd largest Saudi commercial bank (Abdulrahman A. Al-Amoudi, Senior Executive Vice President)
• Offices in Houston, Texas
• (Riyad Bank Houston Agency, 700 Louisiana, suite 4770, Houston, Texas 77002, US
• Board member, Beirut Ryad Bank SAL (with Prince Khaled bin Turki and Abdullah Taha Bakhsh)
• Board member, Saudi Arabian Refinery Company (Chairman Prince Khaled bin Turki, directors include Kaaki (bin Mahfouz) and Al Rajhi)
• Shareholder, Middle East Capital Group (shareholders include Abdullah Taha Bakhsh,

Henry Sarkissian

• -President Saudi Binladin Group International-, Sami Baarma -National Commercial Bank-
• CEO, Saudi Arabian Marketing Agencies and Company Ltd (Shareholder : Salem Mohammad Bin Laden)
• Ferrari, Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen deale Shareholder,
• Egyptian Gulf BankShareholder
• Golden Pyramids Plaza CoShareholder
• Savola Snack Food Co. Ltd (with Saleh bin Mahfouz and Abdullah Taha Bakhsh

MOHAMED YOUSEF AL-NAGHIAl Naghi Brothers Co (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

BIN MAHFOODH (KHALID BIN MAHFOUZ)

• Former COO, BCCI
• Former CEO, National Commercial Bank, 1st Saudi commercial bank
• Founder, Muwafaq Foundation
• Founder, International Development Foundation

ABDEL QADER FAQEEH (ADEL FAQIH)

• Board member, Ibn Baz Foundation
• Chairman, Bank Al Jazira
• Chairman, Savola Group (Sharbatly), merged with Azizia Panda (Walid bin Talal) - 13th largest Saudi company
• Chairman, Makkah Construction & Development Company

SALAH AL-DIN ABDEL JAWAD (SALAHUDDIN ABDULJAWAD)

• CEO, General Machinery Agencies (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• Agent for General Motors, Wacker Corp, Mannesmann, Renault (RVI),
• Opel Board member,
• United Gulf Industries Corp, Manama, Bahrain (with Khalil Bin Laden)
• Partner, Savola Snack Food Co. Ltd (with Saleh Bin Mahfouz, Abdullah Taha Bakhsh, Prince Mishail Bin Abdullah Bin Turki, Abdulrahman Sharbatly)
• Founder of several scholarship funds (Berkeley, Oxford -including the Salahuddin Abduljawad Fellowship in Islamic Art History) through Barakat Trust (UK) and Barakat Foundation (USA) with Xenel Industries Ltd and Khalid Alireza

AHMAD TURKI YAMANI (AHMED ZAKI YAMANI)Born in 1930, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Son of former Saudi Chief Justice

• Former Saudi minister of petroleum and mineral resources
• Former director, ARAMCO
• Founder, Investcorp (Board members include Abdullah Taha Bakhsh)

ABDEL HADI TAHER (ABDUL HADI TAHER)

• CEO, Taher Group of Companies, 52nd largest Saudi company
• Owner, Marketing General Trading Corp (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• Shareholder, Arab Company for Hotels & Contracting Ltd (with Ahmed Zaki Yamani
• Former Minister of State
• Former Governor of the Saudi state oil company Petromin, under responsibility of Ahmed Zaki Yamani
• Former director, Saudi European Bank (Paris), held 25% of the bank shares along with Ahmed Zaki Yamani

MOHAMMED OMAR???AL KUWAIT???AHMAD AL HARBICEO, Ahmad Al Harbi Group(L'Houssaine Kherchtou testified on February 21, 2001, during the trial of suspected al-Qaida militants in connection with the bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on 7 August 1998, that he was welcomed at Miram Shah guest house in Pakistan before joining Al-Qaida by "Abu Ahmed al Harbi").

AL ISSAEI (MOHAMMED AL-ISSAI)

• Board member, Saudi Research & Marketing Company (with Mohammed Hussein al-Amoudi, Saleh Abdullah Kamel, Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Mahfouz, Dallah Albaraka Group) - 20th largest Saudi company
• CEO, Al Issai Trade Company (Daimler-Chrysler representative)
• Deputy Chairman, Arab Cement Company (shareholders include Binladin Group, Bin Mahfouz, Al Rajhi -
• Chairman: Turki Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud)

HAMAD AL HUSAINI (HAMAD AL HUSSAINI)CEO, Akel Trading Company

• CEO, Akel Agricultural Investment Company LLCCEO, Al Hussaini and CompanyBoard member of Al Waqf Al Islami Foundation (Netherlands)
• Brother of Abdullah Osman Abdulrahman Al Hussaini,
• General Director of Al Waqf Al Islami Foundation,
• owner of Al Furqan Mosque in Netherlands (linked to MWL, Mounir El Motassadeq and Marwan El Shehhi
• Family member include Walid Al Hussaini, representative of Abdullah Al Turki (former minister of Islamic Affairs, Secretary General of MWL,
• Linked to Mohammad Zouaydi -Spanish procedure-)

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AL-QAIDA RECIPIENTS

Major recipients appear to be Usama Bin laden and Adel Abdul Jalil Batterjee. They receive donations from 13 donors.

USAMA (USAMA BIN LADEN)Receives donations from the most prominent in the list:

• Bin Laden Brothers, Al Rajhi, Sharbatly, Al Naghi, Bin Mahfouz, Adel Faqih, Al KuwaitWAIL (WAEL HAMZA JULAIDAN)
• Former Secretary General of the Muslim World League and Rabita Trust in Pakistan, designated by the United States Treasury as SGDT
• Receives donations from Suleiman Al Rashid, Abdulkader Bakri, Salahuddin Abduljawad, Abdul Tahi Taher

BATERJI (ADEL ABDUL JALIL BATTERJEE)

• Chairman Al Shamal Islamic Bank (Khartoum, Sudan)
• Founder, Al-Birr Society, Benevolence International Foundation
• Former Secretary General, World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)
• Receives donations from Yousef Jameel, Ibrahim Afandi, Saleh Abdullah Kamel, Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Jomaih, Ahmed Zaki Yamani and Mohammed Omar

ABU MAZIN ( ??? MAZIN M. BAHARETH)Son of Mohammed Saleh Bahareth (brother of Usama Bin Laden father's wife and tutor of the Bin Laden family after patriarch Mohammad Bin Laden's death in 1968)

• CEO, Bahareth Organization (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
• Shareholder, Triple B Trading GmbH (Germany) - with Hassan Bahfzallah and Shahir A. I. Batterjee,
• Secretary: Abdul-Martin Tatari
• Receives donations from Hamad Al HussainiSALEM TAHERReceives donations from Ahmad Al Harbi and Mohammed Al IssaiSource:

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