Probe Links Between Polisario Front, Hezbollah – Report

An exclusive report by The Defense channel of i24NEWS has revealed how the Polisario Front, which operates from Tindouf in Algeria, organized a large-scale illegal money laundering network based in Spain, and how the movement is linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Through access to a report by an unnamed Western intelligence agency written by financial investigators, as well as reports from Spain’s Guardia Civil force, The Defense was able to identify Ahmed Abderrahman as the mastermind behind the Hawala – an informal method of transferring money through brokers.

As the head of the Hawala, dubbed “Tirs,” Abderrahman had very close ties to the leaders of the Polisario Front – a rebel Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement claiming Western Sahara in northwest Africa that proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Abderrahman was found to have organized networks from Tindouf to Europe and well beyond, including in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

In its report, The Defense presented exclusive examples of several bank accounts opened in Spain and Ireland connected to “Tirs.”

Above it all, the channel also revealed very close ties between the Polisario Front and Lebanon’s Shiite Islamist movement Hezbollah through the Hawala.

The report showed Abderrahman seated at a cafe in an unnamed European country, where he met with a Lebanese businessman from al-Qard al-Hasan – the financial arm of Hezbollah – who declared his loyalty to the extremist group.

“I love Hezbollah. Despite the struggles in Lebanon, I love what it does. Hezbollah is special. I am Sunnim, and yet I love it because its men keep their word. They proved their strength in the 2006 war against Israel… and many countries are afraid of them.”

A former European intelligence agent referred to as “O” told i24NEWS that “if the Europeans do not become aware of this problem today, it will already be too late tomorrow.”