* * * The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 8/17/02
McKinney campaign donors named in 9.11 suit
By BOB DART and STEPHEN KRUPIN Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writers
WASHINGTON -- Several contributors to Rep. Cynthia McKinney's campaign are among the alleged "enablers of terrorism" named in the $1 trillion lawsuit filed this week by families of some Sept. 11 victims.
The suit seeks damages from the "financial sponsors of terror" who "hide behind the facade of legitimacy." Among these alleged terrorist financiers are several individual supporters of McKinney. Among the corporate defendants is a Gainesville poultry firm.
The federal suit was filed Thursday by more than 600 relatives of people who died in the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. The amount sought was amended to $1 trillion from an earlier $100 trillion.
"The financial resources and support network of these defendants -- charities, banks and individual financiers -- are what allowed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to occur," the lawsuit charges.
Among the defendants are:
Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., a Gainesville firm that the lawsuit claims has links to Saudi supporters of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network.
Abdurahman Alamoudi, who contributed $2,000 to McKinney's campaign. The lawsuit says Alamoudi has "openly stated his support for Hamas and Hezbollah, both designated terrorist organizations." Alamoudi is secretary of the Success Foundation, which the lawsuit charges is part of the International Islamic Relief Organization, which is "al- Qaida's charity of choice to funnel money and weapons."
Mohamed S. Omeish, who contributed $500 to McKinney's campaign. The suit says Omeish is president of the U.S. branch of the Islamic Relief Organization.
Yaqub Mirza, president of Mar-Jac Investments, who also gave $500 to McKinney's campaign. He is secretary-treasurer of the Muslim World League, an organization named as a defendant in the lawsuit. "The MWL has numerous connections with al-Qaida operatives," the lawsuit alleges.
Jamal Barzinji, a Mar-Jac Investments manager, who gave $500 to McKinney's campaign. Barzinji is president of SAAR Foundation, another organization named as a defendant in the lawsuit. "The SAAR Network financially supports terrorism and its main contributors, the al-Rajhi Family, has a long history of same," the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit said the "co-conspirators, aiders and abettors of the al-Rajhi family" include Mar-Jac Poultry Inc. The al-Rajhi family was included among the Saudi Arabian financiers of bin Laden.
Ahmad Totonji, who contributed $1,000 to McKinney's campaign. The lawsuit lists him among the "co-conspirators, aiders and abettors of the SAAR Network."
The lawsuit defendants who contributed to McKinney's campaign could not be reached Friday and did not respond to telephone messages.
Telephone calls on Friday to the McKinney campaign were not returned. The congresswoman faces former DeKalb County State Court Judge Denise Majette in the 4th District Democratic primary Tuesday.
In a televised debate earlier this month, McKinney responded to questions about her donors.
"All of our contributions are legal," she said. "My opponent, on the other hand, has an awful lot of Republican money going into her coffers."
McKinney has long enjoyed support from within the nation's Islamic community.
In an earlier interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, McKinney had said, "My relationships with the Arab-American and American Muslim communities are based on the belief that they, like Americans of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, are full members of the American family."
But McKinney campaign coordinator Wendell Muhamad had played down FBI investigations of some of these same donors. He had said that the agency historically has hounded minorities and now is targeting Muslims and people with Arab-sounding names.
About one-fourth of the individuals who have contributed to McKinney's campaigns over the past five years have names that appear to be Arab-American or Muslim, according to an informal study of Federal Election Commission records by the Journal- Constitution.
Their contributions total $142,950, one-third of the money McKinney collected from individuals over the last five years, the AJC review indicated.
Arab-American leaders call McKinney a longtime supporter.
Staff writers Melanie Eversley and Bill Torpy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this article.