Lawsuit accuses Arab Bank of aiding terrorists
Institution paid suicide bombers, laundered money, suit alleges
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Six families of U.S. citizens killed or hurt in terrorist attacks in the Middle East have filed an $875 million lawsuit against the Arab Bank, accusing it of financing terrorist actions in Israel and the West Bank.
The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in the Eastern District of New York, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit states "the Jordanian-based banking institution with a branch in New York is knowingly administering the distribution of financial benefits to terrorists, the families of terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations as part of a scheme to encourage and facilitate acts of international terrorism."
An Arab Bank spokesman in New York told CNN he had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, but that "a response will be coming soon."
The suit alleges:
The Arab Bank's New York branch laundered Saudi money and distributed it to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad suicide bombersMoney was distributed to prisoners of the Israeli military who were captured because of terrorist activitiesThe bank distributed money to beneficiaries of suicide bombers, including their families and those wounded or captured by Israeli security forcesHamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization. The group's military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians as well as attacks against the Israeli military.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a militant group dedicated to the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel. The group has carried out military operations against Israeli soldiers and civilians.
Plaintiff Courtney Linde's husband, John Linde Jr., was killed in October when a remote-control bomb tore apart a vehicle in the U.S. diplomatic convoy he was guarding in northern Gaza.
"We have evidence that the bank knows of the financial services that it is rendering to suicide bombers," said Mark Werbner, an attorney for the families.
The Arab Bank has close to 20 branches in cities in the West Bank, the suit said.
"The Arab Bank is a major international bank with branches in Switzerland, Italy, and the U.S., and 6,000 employees," Werbner said. "A major international bank all over the world with 6,000 employees, it has the capability of laundering money and trying to conceal the unlawful nature of banking services."
