LTTE set up U.S. branch: Paper

"The 32-page document said the LTTE relied on "sympathetic Tamil expatriates" in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia, France and other countries to raise and launder money; smuggle arms, explosives, equipment and technology to Sri Lanka; obtain intelligence about the Sri Lankan government; and spread propaganda."
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(April, 07, Washington, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Tamil Tigers, a terrorist organization whose suicide bombings and political assassinations have killed 4,000 people in the past two years, have quietly established a U.S. presence to help bankroll and equip its brutal secessionist campaign in Sri Lanka, authorities said, the “Washington Post” paper reports today.

According to the Paper, “Formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and designated as terrorists by the State Department in 1997, the group has sought for more than three decades to violently overthrow the Sri Lankan government and create an independent state for the Tamil minority.”

“To that end, its political wing has established "branches" in at least 12 countries, including the United States, as part of a global expansion in which the LTTE seeks to purchase millions of dollars worth of anti-aircraft weapons, automatic rifles, grenade launchers, ammunition, explosives and other military equipment, according to federal law-enforcement authorities,” the paper claimed.

“That expansion has included operations in Maryland, New York and New Jersey in an effort to help raise cash and procure weapons.”

“A criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York in April 2007 in the arrest of a senior LTTE member in the United States said he raised money and arranged meetings between U.S. financial backers and the organization's senior leadership in Sri Lanka.”

“The 32-page document said the LTTE relied on "sympathetic Tamil expatriates" in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia, France and other countries to raise and launder money; smuggle arms, explosives, equipment and technology to Sri Lanka; obtain intelligence about the Sri Lankan government; and spread propaganda,” the report added.

“Yesterday, a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber hit a marathon event in Sri Lanka, killing the apparent intended target, senior highways minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, 13 others and wounding 100 as the blast struck amid athletes, officials and spectators.”

“Described by the FBI as one of the "most dangerous and deadly" extremist organizations in the world, the LTTE grabbed the attention of U.S. authorities in August 2006 when eight people were charged in the New York case with conspiracy to provide resources and material support — including Russian-made SA-18 surface-to-air missiles, missile launchers and AK-47 assault rifles — to terrorist associates in Sri Lanka.”
- Sri Lanka Guardian