AQAP Designated Terrorist Group by United States

Via Yahoo! News -

The United States named Tuesday Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a terrorist group in a bid to cut support to the outfit blamed for the plot to bring down a Detroit-bound jet on Christmas Day.

The State Department said it has also asked a UN committee that looks at sanctions against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to take similar actions against AQAP and its leaders Nasir al-Wahishi and Said al-Shihri.

"These actions prohibit provision of material support and arms to AQAP and also include immigration related restrictions that will help stem the flow of finances to AQAP," department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement.

The designations -- made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in consultation with other senior US officials -- also "give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to prosecute AQAP members," he added.

Crowley said the Yemen-based group has claimed it was behind a number of attacks against Saudi, Korean, Yemeni, and US targets since it was founded in January 2009.

These include a March suicide bombing against South Korean tourists in Yemen, an attempt in August to assassinate Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayif, and the December 25 bid to blow up a flight from Amsterdam as it landed in Detroit.

The designations "represent just one phase" of the US government's response to the AQAP threat, Crowley said.

He said Washington has also asked officials at a UN committee -- set up by Security Council resolution 1267 in 1999 to pursue sanctions against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban -- to take similar actions against the group and its leaders.

"If successful, this will require all UN member states to implement an asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo against these entities," Crowley said.

"These designations will occur less than one month after the Security Council adopted resolution 1904, which renewed and strengthened the 1267 regime," he said.

He said the resolution "created major new improvements to the way" the UN imposes sanctions on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

"The actions taken today against AQAP support the US effort to degrade the capabilities of this group," he said.

"We are determined to eliminate AQAP's ability to execute violent attacks and to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat their networks," Crowley added.

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AQ, AQIM and AQAP are currently in the official FTO list....
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm