The Golden Chain

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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 premisises 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 appelation "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 will be vague on what year the Golden Chain document was written; some say 1988. [Wall Street Journal, 3/18/2003] But counterterrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke will say it dates from 1989. The "Golden Chain" was presented by the United States Government case USA v. Arnaout filed on January 29, 2003.

List of Sponsors

The donors named listed include:

Adel Batterjee

Adel Batterjee is a wealthy Saudi businessman who is also the founder of both BIF and its predecessor, Lajnatt Al-Birr Al-Islamiah. He appears to be mentioned as a recipient three times. The US will declare him as a terrorist financier in 2004.

"The Bin Laden Brothers"

Their first names are not mentioned. They give money to Osama bin Laden. UPI will later point out that "the discovery of this document in Sarajevo calls into question whether al-Qaeda has received support from one of Osama’s scores of wealthy brothers."{cn}

Suleiman al-Rashid

Al-Rashid Trading & Contracting (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

Abdel Qader Bakri

(Alternatively spelled Abdulkader al Bakri, etc.) Notable affiliations include:

• CEO, Bakri Group of Companies
• CEO, Al Bakri International Power Co. Ltd (Jeddah)
• CEO, Al-Bakri Shipping Group (Jeddah)
• CEO, Alkhomasia Shipping and Maintenance Company Ltd (Jeddah)
• CEO, Red Sea Marine Services (Jeddah)
• CEO, Diners Club International (Jeddah)
• Bakri Group formed in April 2002 (a joint venture 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).

Youssef 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 Muhammad Afandi

Notable affiliations include:

• Board member, Ibn Baz Foundation (President: Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, VP: Abdulaziz bin Fahd)
• Board member, International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO)
• Chairman, Al Afandi Establishment (Jeddah)
• 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 Abdullah Kamel

Born in 1941, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saleh Abdullah Kamel is CEO of Jeddah-based Dallah Al-Baraka, the 3rd largest commercial entity in Saudia Arabia. Other notable affiliations include:

• 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 Jazeera
• Founder, Iqraa International Foundation

Sulaiman Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi

Sulaiman Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi is one of Saudi Arabia's leading commercial features and philanthropists, overseeing a financial empire of some $28b in assets.

• CEO, al-Rajhi Bank
• Board member, International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO)
• Board member, Ibn Baz Foundation

al Rajhi also created the SAAR Foundation, which was shuttered in the wake of a March, 2002 raid by customs officials under the auspices of Operation Green Quest.

Muhammad Al-Abdullah Aljomaih

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Abdullah Aljomaih, who died in 2004, was one of the Kingdom's foremost philanthropists.

• Board member, IIRO
• Board member, Ibn Baz Foundation
• Member of the Committee for collection of donations for supporting the Intifada (chaired by Prince Salman, First Islamic Investment Bank and 300 other entities)
• Al Birr donor
• Bosnia donor

Abdel Rahman Hassan Sharbatly

Abdel Rahman Hassan Sharbatly was the founder of Riyadh Bank, the 2nd largest Saudi commercial bank. Other affiliations include:

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

Mohamed Youssef al-Naghi

Apparently affiliated with the Naghi Brothers dealership in Jeddah.

Khaled bin Mahfouz

Khaled bin Mahfouz is one of the leading figures in Saudi banking circles.

• Forer COO, BCCI
• Former CEO, National Commercial Bank
• Founder, Muwafaq Foundation
• Founder, International Development Foundation

Abdel Qader Faqeeh

(Adel Faqih, etc). Affiliations include:

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

Saleh al-Din Abdel Jawad

(Sallahuddin Abduljawad, etc). Affiliations include:

• CEO, General Machinery Agencies (Jeddah)
• 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, etc). Born 1930, Mecca, son of former Saudi Chief Justice. Affiliations:

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

Abdel Hadi Taher

• CEO, Taher Group of Companies, 52nd largest Saudi company
• Owner, Marketing General Trading Corp (Jeddah)
• Shareholder, Arab Company for Hotels & Contracting Ltd (with Ahmed Zaki Yamani)
• Former Minister of State Former Governor of the Saudi state oil company Petromin (recently acquired by Gulf Oil, 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

No information available.

al Kuwait

No information available

Ahmad al Harbi

• CEO, Ahmad Al Harbi Group

L'Investigateur notes, "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'."

Mohammed al-Issai

(al-Issaie, etc). Affiliations:

• 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 Saudi Binladin Group, Bin Mahfouz, Al Rajhi - Chairman: Turki Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud)

Hamad Abdulrahman Al Hussaini

• CEO, Akel Trading Company
• CEO, Akel Agricultural Investment Company LLC
• CEO, Al Hussaini and Company
• Board 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-)

Recipients

Major recipients include:

Osama bin Laden

Receives donations from the most prominent in the list: Bin Laden Brothers, Al Rajhi, Sharbatly, Al Naghi, Bin Mahfouz, Adel Faqih, Al Kuwait

Wa'el Hamza Julaidan

Wa'el Hamza Julaidan was one of the four founders of al Qaeda in August, 1988.

• Previously (1984) established "the Service Office" or Maktab al-Khidamat in Afghanistan, along with bin Laden and Abdullah Yusuf Azzam.
• 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

Adel Baterjee

By varying accoungs Baterjee is also listed as a recipient.

Abu Mazin

(Mazin M. Bahareth, etc.). Affiliations:

• Son of Mohammed Saleh Bahareth (brother of Osama 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)
• Shareholder, Triple B Trading GmbH (Germany) - with Hassan Bahfzallah and Shahir A. I. Batterjee
• Secretary: Abdul-Martin Tatari
• Receives donations from Hamad Al Hussaini

Sale Taher

Receives donations from Ahmad Al Harbi and Mohammed Al Issai

See also

• Benevolence International Foundation
• Enaam Arnaout
• Osama Bin Laden
• Saudi Arabia

External links

• Excerpt: The Osama bin Laden I know
• L'investigateur - tous droits rèservès
• Sophistpundit - The Golden Chain
• Context of '1988: ’Al-Qaeda’ Possibly the Name of a Computer Database at CooperativeResearch
• Der Spiegel, Osama's Road to Riches and Terror