Known Also As: Al-Qard al-Hassan Association; Al-Quard al-Hassan Association, Al-Quardh Al-Hassan Association, Karadh Al-Hassan; AQAH;

Country: Lebanon;

Address: Beirut, Lebanon;

Activities:
AQAH, was designated by OFAC in 2007, is used by Hizballah as a cover to manage the terrorist group’s financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.

Hizballah has used AQAH as a cover to manage its financial activity. AQAH is run by Husayn al-Shami, a senior Hizballah leader who has served as a member of Hizballah’s Shura Council and as head of several Hizballah-controlled organizations.

Following the September 7, 2006 designation of al-Shami, along with Bayt al-Mal and Yousser Company for Finance and Investment, AQAH assumed a more prominent role in Hizballah’s financial infrastructure. As of February 2007, bank accounts of Bayt al-Mal and Yousser Company were changed and re-registered in the name of senior employees of AQAH.

Further, after the majority of Bayt al-Mal’s offices were destroyed during the summer 2006 conflict, Hizballah transferred a portion of its financial activity to AQAH, giving Hizballah access to the international banking system.

Hizballah was designated by the Department of State as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 31, 2001. AQAH was designated as an SDGT on July 24, 2007, pursuant to E.O. 13224, for being owned or controlled by, and providing support to, Hizballah.