“A man suspected of financing the Islamic militant group Hezbollah from a border region where Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil converge has been extradited to Paraguay to face tax evasion charges, Brazilian officials said Tuesday.
“Assad Ahmad Barakat, who has acknowledged being a Hezbollah sympathizer, was flown to the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, on Monday, said Brazil justice ministry spokeswoman Marina Oliveira.
“Paraguayan officials have said seized bank records raised suspicions that Barakat could have been illegally funneling large sums of money to the Middle East from his electronics business in Ciudad del Este, just across the border from Brazil. . . .
“The ‘Triple Border’ region, considered a haven for arms traffickers, smugglers and counterfeiters, is a porous area where passport checks are rare. The area, home to about 20,000 Lebanese Muslims, has been described by the U.S. State Department as a ‘focal point for Islamic extremism in Latin America.’
“Barakat told The Associated Press in 2001 he sympathized with Hezbollah, whose name in Arabic means ‘Party of God,’ but he denied any links to the group. His only financial contributions were to support the orphan of a Hezbollah fighter, he said.
“‘Yes, I am a sympathizer of the Party of God. But that does not mean that I support terrorism or terrorists,’ said Barakat, who is in his mid-30s. . . .
“After the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, Paraguay began cracking down on Lebanese residents in Ciudad del Este. Anti-terrorism agents raided Barakat’s wholesale electronics store, arrested two employees and seized videos and documents that a prosecutor said ‘encouraged young men to join Hezbollah’s war against Israel and become suicide bombers.'”
How can he say he’s against terrorism and yet encourage suicide bombing? Well, you see, that’s not terrorism. That’s “cowing of infidels.”