October 02, 2018 - Countless individuals have had their lives affected by terrorism across the globe. In fact, sometimes it seems that the news regarding terrorist activities—bombings, hijackings, kidnappings—just does not stop, and the number of victims of these terrorist activities continues to grow.
Many people have not really thought past what we see and hear to wonder where the funding for these terrorist activities actually comes from. It was discovered a few years ago that certain Global Banks admitted to violating U.S. Counter-Terrorism sanctions by processing huge financial transactions for Iran—a country known to sponsor terrorism. These banks eventually entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements and Consent Orders once it was clear they had violated U.S. sanctions.
War veterans, both from the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, may now be entitled to compensation under our country’s Anti-Terrorism Act. These Afghanistan war explosion injury cases and Iraq war explosion injury cases are being brought in an effort to provide at least some measure of financial compensation to those who have suffered life-changing injuries.
Iraq War Veterans File Anti-Terrorism Lawsuits in 2014 An anti-terrorism lawsuit was filed in 2014 by wounded Iraqi war veterans against the EU banks which provided funds to Iran against U.S. sanctions. These U.S. soldiers sued five European banks, seeking to hold them accountable for shootings and roadside bombings which left American soldiers severely injured or dead. The lawsuit was brought under the United States’ Anti-Terrorism Act—a law put into place in 1992 which allows victims to bring private lawsuits against those who finance militant operations. The Iraq war veterans alleged in their lawsuit that the European banks conspired with Iranian banks to cover up wire transactions as a means of avoiding U.S. sanctions. The lawsuit further alleges that these transactions ended up funneling millions, possibly even billions to terrorist organizations. Since the original lawsuit was filed, some of the banks admitted they processed substantial financial transactions for Iran, a known sponsor of terrorist organizations in the Afghanistan war and the Iran war, including:
- Sponsorships for Hezbollah and Ansar al-Islam;
- Sunni and Shi terrorist recruits who killed U.S. troops, U.S. contractors and U.S. civilians;
- Bounties for terrorist organizations who then attacked U.S. civilians and U.S. military troops;
- Weapons used to wound and kill U.S. soldier and contractors (IRAMs, IEDs and EFPs), and
- Funding for training, arming and commanding Sunni and Shi terrorists.
Which Banks Were Involved? The European banks involved in the alleged conspiracies who are potentially subject to anti-terrorism lawsuits include HSBC Holding Group PLC, BNP Paribas S.A., Barclays PLC, Standard Chartered Bank PLC, Commerzbank A.G. and Credit Suisse.
How Could You Benefit from Speaking to an Anti-Terrorism Attorney? If you are a victim of Afghanistan war explosion injuries, or injuries received in the Iraq war, you could be eligible to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit against the banks involved in helping provide funds to Iran, who in turn used the money fund acts of terrorism against American soldiers and American contractors. If a loved one was killed in the Afghanistan or Iraq war due to state-sponsored terrorism, you could also be entitled to compensation under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act.
Having an experienced anti-terrorism attorney by your side who is well-prepared to fight hard for your rights can make a significant difference in the outcome of your anti-terrorism lawsuit. While it can be next-to-impossible to pursue damages from the actual terrorists, a viable option for you could be pursuing damages from the banks that processed large financial transactions for Iran, a known sponsor of terror. Your anti-terrorism attorney will answer your questions, helping you seek reparations for your losses related to Iranian-sponsored terrorism in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.