Terror Arrest: Alleged Arms Dealer Taken Down in Spain
"He acted like he was untouchable," says one U.S. official.
June 8, 2007 — -- He is one of Iraq's most wanted, accused of supplying guns and explosives to insurgents and terrorists, and Friday the U.S. government announced the arrest of Monzer Al Kassar.
Karen Tandy of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Kassar, known as "The Prince of Marbella" for his lavish lifestyle, might not be a household name in the United States, but nevertheless, he is "a very grave threat."
"Where others see suffering, chaos and conflict, Kassar sees opportunity and dollar signs," she said.
Charges against the alleged international arms dealer include conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and money laundering.
With Kassar's arrest, U.S. officials hope to begin chipping away at his purported arms trafficking networks that span most of the globe's hot spots.
Officials allege Kassar has supplied military equipment to insurgents in Iraq and has maintained close ties to Saddam Hussein's family. They also suspect him of supplying arms to the Palestinian Liberation Front and fueling conflicts from Iran, Iraq and Somalia to Bosnia and Croatia for more than 30 years.
The indictment, unsealed Friday also alleges Kassar and his associates agreed to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the FARC, a Colombian radical group, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
The indictment describes the FARC as an organization that has been attempting to overthrow the Colombian government through violent methods and "also evolved into the world's largest supplier of cocaine."
The goal of the weapons sale, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, was to arm FARC members so they could murder Americans working to stop the flow of drugs from Colombia.
"He operates in the shadows, the silent partner behind the business of death and terror," said Tandy.
