US freezes Real IRA assets

The US has frozen the assets of 25 worldwide terrorist groups including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and the Real IRA.

The designation means it is illegal for Americans to provide material support for the groups and that US financial institutions must block their assets.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell had to take action or the sanctions would have lapsed on Monday.

He said: "Every one of these groups has continued to engage in terrorist activity over the past two years."

General Powell added that bin Laden and al-Qaida received support from the Egyptian al-Jihad and Gama'a al-Islamiyya, also an Egyptian group.

The Algerian Armed Islamic Group, the Harkat ul-Mujahedeen (Kashmiri), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Abu Sayyaf group (Filipino) are also on the list.

US law requires that the terrorist group list be updated at two-year intervals.

Since the October 1999 update, three groups have been added: the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Real IRA, and the AUC, a rightist paramilitary organisation in Colombia.

General Powell dropped the Japanese Red Army and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (Peru) from the list because he decided that the statutory criteria had not been met. Two groups, Kahane Chai and Kach, both Jewish, were combined into one.

The move is separate to a financial crackdown ordered by President George Bush on September 24 against 15 organisations and 12 individuals considered to be global allies of bin Laden.