* Funder of al Qaeda and Hamas
* Funded the Hamburg terrorist cell responsible for the 9/11 attacks
* Was arrested by Spanish authorities on April 23, 2002
A Syrian-born Spanish national, Muhammad Zouaydi is the brother-in-law of Mohamed Baiahah (a.k.a. Abu Khaled), a personal courier of Osama bin Laden in Europe.
After graduating from college with a degree in management, Zouaydi worked as an accountant for the Saudi royal family. Over time, he developed a close relationship with al Qaeda and became a senior financier of the terror group, raising large sums of money through Islamic charities that he oversaw. Most notably, Zouaydi helped fund the Hamburg, Germany-based al Qaeda cell responsible for the 9/11 attacks. He also funneled cash to the terrorist organization Hamas.
Zouaydi was arrested by Spanish police in 2003. Spanish prosecutors identified him as a major funder of the Hebron Muslim Youth Association, a “known” Hamas organization that was “financed by activists of [Hamas] living abroad.”
Zouaydi is believed to have given $6,600 to Sheikh Helal Jamal, a Madrid-based Palestinian religious figure with links to Hamas. Moreover, he dispensed some $600,000 to al Qaeda operations around the world, and another $211,000 to the Global Relief Foundation — which President Bush officially designated as a terrorist entity in October 2002. Zouaydi was arrested by Spanish authorities on April 23, 2002.