MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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November 23, 2009

Terror fight stops funding

When it comes to terrorism, there is not a great deal law enforcement can do when a lone terrorist or few terrorists or madmen carry out random acts of violence.

They are virtually impossible to stop in a free society.

However, our government can seize cash and property being used by organizations to fund terrorist attacks.

More than a week ago, federal prosecutors began action to seize four mosques and a skyscraper in the United States owned by the Alavi Foundation, a nonprofit Muslim group that is suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.

Taking forfeiture action against the group will incite criticism, but if the foundation is funneling money illegally to Iran as prosecutors say, that must end.

Severely limiting terrorist groups’ ability to operate training camps and purchase weapons and bomb materials is possible by closely monitoring the illegal flow of money sometimes around the world. It’s something the Justice Department should monitor and prosecute aggressively.

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