A worldwide terrorist money laundering scheme has netted 39 arrests. The al Qaeda fund raising scheme was centered in Washington, D.C, but extended around the globe.

The scheme was run from Washington, D.C. by Saifulla Ranjha's Hamza, Inc., but it had links around the country and the globe. Ranjha's right-hand man is said to be a Canadian, Mazhar Chughtai, who arranged the bank transfers.

The only other name I could find is that of a Pakistani, Aqeel Khalid, who was arrested in Seattle yesterday for trying to bribe an immigration officer so that the al Qaeda money-launderers could obtain legal permanent residency--a green card.

UPDATE: Allahakhchew notices two more names: Anar Muhammad Shan and Preces Mehmood Sandhu, both arrested in Spain yesterday. Examiner.com:

he indictment of 39 defendants in an international money laundering case sends a message to potential terrorists and drug dealers that their financial pipelines are being monitored, a federal prosecutor said Thursday.

Cooperating witnesses posed as drug smugglers, cigarette smugglers, and in one case as a terrorist who wanted to send money to al-Qaida, and asked the defendants to help transfer money. The four-year undercover investigation targeted defendants in the United States, Belgium, Canada and Spain, U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said....

Raids were conducted in Maryland, Washington D.C., New Jersey and Spain on Thursday, authorities said.

Federal prosecutors are seeking $5.1 million in criminal forfeitures and ownership interest in two convenience stores located in Snow Hill, Md., where raids were also conducted Thursday. A home in the Eastern Shore town was also raided Thursday....

According to the indictment, Khalid and another man paid $40,000 last year to a cooperating government witness, who they believed would use the money to bribe immigration officials to obtain status as permanent lawful residents of the United States. Khalid's birthdate is in dispute, but he is believed to be 22, said Robbie Burroughs, an FBI spokeswoman in Seattle.

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