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Conflict diamonds: the Ben Laden Connection

The Washington Post (November 7th, 2001) discloses that Ossama Ben Laden's terrorist organization Al-Qaida may have benefitted from millions of dollars from the illecit sale of diamonds mined in Sierra Leone. The illecit trade of conflict or 'blood' diamonds seems to have provided millions of dollars for to ben Laden's network during the past three years.

Both Al-Qaida and rebels of Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rely on the same source for the financing of weapons. Investigators had already linked conflict diamonds to the financial support of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. It now appears that an intermediary stands between the RUF rebels, who exploit the Sierra Leone diamond mines, and first the Hezbollah, then the Al-Qaida network.

Last summer, the price of and the demand for gems mined in Sierra Leone rose at the same time, which may have meant that an important buyer was seeking to acquire diamonds. Investigators suppose that Ben Laden's terrorist network was eager to convert part of its cash into diamonds, in forecast of the financial blockout following the September 11 events, as diamonds are easily concealed and represent cash readily available.