Published: December 20, 2005

Shoe Bomber Associate Sajid Badat Designated as Foreign Terrorist

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Follows U.N. action freezing assets, limiting travel as al-Qaida associate

Washington - Sajid Badat, the British-born citizen who pled guilty to a charge of conspiring with "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid to blow up U.S. airliners in 2001, has been designated a foreign terrorist by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The terrorist designation, requested by another country and announced December 19 in a State Department press release, means that "all property, and interests in property which Badat has in the United States, or which enters the United States, or comes under the control of U.S. persons is blocked."

The U.S. action took place on December 16, one day after the United Nations 1267 Committee, also known as the Security Council's al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee, added Badat's name to its consolidated list of al-Qaida associates.

Badat's listing by the United Nations means all U.N. members immediately must freeze his financial assets and resources, prevent his entry into their territories even for transit-through purposes and block his access to weapons, ammunition and military equipment.

Currently, Badat is serving a 13-year sentence in the British prison system after pleading guilty February 28 to one count of conspiracy.

The State Department release noted that cooperation with other countries is one way the United States participates in the fight against terrorism. "Focusing the resources and abilities of multilateral organizations such as the United Nations is essential to building a seamless global counterterrorism web," it said.

The text of the announcement is available on the State Department Web site. For additional information on U.S. policy, see Response to Terrorism.

Information about the 1267 Committee is available on the U.N. Web site.

Source: U.S. Department of State