World News | UK Sanctions Art Dealer with Suspected Ties to Hezbollah

London, Apr 18 (AP) A diamond and art dealer was sanctioned Tuesday by the U.K. government for allegedly funding Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group.

The Treasury said it froze Nazem Ahmad's assets in the U.K. because he financed the Iranian-backed Shiite militant organization that has been designated an international terrorist group. Under the sanctions, no one in the U.K. will be able to do business with Ahmad or his businesses.

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“The firm action we have taken today will clamp down on those who are funding international terrorism,” said Joanna Penn, treasury minister. She said the move would strengthen the U.K.'s economic and national security.

Ahmad was similarly sanctioned in 2019 by the U.S. Treasury, which alleged he was a “prominent Lebanon-based money launderer and significant Hezbollah financier.” It also said he was involved in smuggling “blood diamonds," which are mined in conflict zones and sold to finance violence.

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A Beirut art gallery the U.K. government identified as belonging to Ahmad did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)