Chicago, IL, June 10...The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today hailed the move by federal authorities to seize the financial assets of Mohammad Salah, a longtime activist of the Hamas terrorist organization and resident of the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview.

In a letter to FBI Director Louis Freeh, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, praised "the United States’ firm commitment to uprooting the infrastructure of international terrorism supported by funds raised in America." Mr. Foxman said the government’s action "sends a clear message that the U.S. will not allow our democratic society to be used for sinister purposes."

"This court action is an appropriate and warranted response to a long established association between Salah and Hamas," said ADL Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest Regional Director Richard S. Hirschhaut. Citing a 1996 ADL report entitled Terror For a ‘Noble’ Cause: The Case Against Hamas Leader Musa Abu Marzuq, Hirschhaut added that "as an upper echelon leader in Hamas’ military wing, Salah has spun an elaborate web of financial misdealing and money laundering that has provided the necessary support for murderous, terrorist activities worldwide."

While this case has been pursued in a civil manner under the auspices of the federal government, ADL is consulting with the Cook County (IL) States Attorney’s Office urging application of the 1996 Illinois Anti-Terrorism Act.