Mahmoud Al Hafyan, a Syrian national, was charged with funneling more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist organizations, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), which is affiliated with al Qaeda. He was indicted on 12 counts for diverting aid intended for Syrian civilians to armed combatant groups, leading to suffering for those in need. Al Hafyan, who positioned himself as the head of a non-governmental organization (NGO), had access to U.S. humanitarian aid and managed 160 employees at a humanitarian station in Syria. The NGO he led was awarded $122 million between January 2015 and November 2018 to provide food and medical supplies in the war-torn country.
Al Hafyan and his co-conspirators directed food kits valued at millions of dollars to ANF commanders under the guise of distributing aid to war-affected families in Syria. They falsified beneficiary logs and inflated the number of food kits received by these families, while selling the kits on the black market for personal profit. Additionally, Al Hafyan forced employees at the NGO to donate portions of their salaries to support the terrorist organization, threatening those who refused to comply. This scheme not only defrauded the U.S. government but also supported violent terrorists, undermining humanitarian efforts in Syria.
The Al-Nusrah Front, a designated foreign terrorist organization, has a history of conducting mass executions of civilians, suicide bombings, and kidnappings as part of its objective to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. By providing aid to this group, Al Hafyan contributed to the violence and suffering inflicted upon innocent civilians in Syria. This indictment is the result of years of investigative work, with the FBI’s Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division playing a key role in bringing Al Hafyan to justice for his crimes.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that the money allocated for humanitarian aid was meant to provide food and medical supplies to those in need, not to benefit terrorist organizations. Al Hafyan’s actions not only defrauded the U.S. government but also betrayed the trust placed in NGOs to deliver aid to vulnerable populations. The indictment highlights the importance of monitoring and accountability in humanitarian operations to prevent aid from being misused or diverted for harmful purposes.
Al Hafyan’s alleged involvement in funneling U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist organizations underscores the challenges faced in providing assistance in conflict zones. The need for increased oversight and transparency in aid distribution is essential to ensure that resources reach those who need it most and are not exploited to fuel violence and terrorism. By holding individuals like Al Hafyan accountable for their actions, law enforcement agencies send a strong message that humanitarian aid must be used for its intended purpose and not to support extremist groups.
