Islamist rebels from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham outside the Syrian villages of Al Foua and Kefraya in July 2018. Reuters
Islamist rebels from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham outside the Syrian villages of Al Foua and Kefraya in July 2018. Reuters
Islamist rebels from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham outside the Syrian villages of Al Foua and Kefraya in July 2018. Reuters
Islamist rebels from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham outside the Syrian villages of Al Foua and Kefraya in July 2018. Reuters

World

American woman charged with aiding Syria-based militants

If convicted, Maria Bell faces up to 10 years in prison for providing material support to Al Nusra

Reuters

November 26, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Federal prosecutors in the United States have charged a New Jersey woman with concealing multiple efforts to transfer money to Islamist militants in Syria connected to the Nusra Front, a one-time Al Qaeda affiliate based in Syria’s Idlib province.

Maria Bell, 53, of Hopatcong, New Jersey, was accused of knowingly concealing her involvement in providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation. She appeared by video conference on Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Cathy Waldor in Newark, who declined to grant bail.

Federal prosecutor Dean Sovolos told the judge that when they searched Ms Bell’s residence, investigators found 136 pistols and rifles, 15 canisters of ammunition and an anti-tank rocket.

An affidavit signed by FBI agent Matthew Hohmann said that when offering the militant group assistance, Ms Bell cited her own professional experience, including specialised firearms training she underwent while serving on active duty in the US Army and the Army National Guard.

Public defender Rahul Sharma, representing Ms Bell, said the guns were “antique weapons” that belonged to Ms Bell’s late husband, and argued she should be released on bail because she was at risk for Covid-19 and posed little threat to the community.

If convicted, Ms Bell faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The US Attorney's office in Newark alleged in court filings that starting around February 2017, Ms Bell used mobile phone apps to advise and to facilitate money transfers to Al Nusra, also known as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS).

The FBI affidavit alleged that Ms Bell regularly used encrypted apps to communicate with a Nusra member with whom she had an online relationship. It said she exchanged "thousands of encrypted communications" with the Nusra member.

The FBI said she planned to meet him in Turkey and sent at least 18 payments totalling $3,150 to his associates through wire transfers.

La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.