THIS STORY won’t surprise many people in the blogosphere:
A federal investigation into the bank accounts of the Saudi Embassy in Washington has identified more than $27 million in “suspicious” transactions—including hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to Muslim charities, and to clerics and Saudi students who are being scrutinized for possible links to terrorist activity, according to government documents obtained by NEWSWEEK. The probe also has uncovered large wire transfers overseas by the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan. The transactions recently prompted the Saudi Embassy’s longtime bank, the Riggs Bank of Washington, D.C., to drop the Saudis as a client after embassy officials were “unable to provide an explanation that was satisfying,” says a source familiar with the discussions.
Keep tightening the screws.
UPDATE: Reader John Kelly emails: “The timing of the Saudi’s OPEC initiative to raise oil prices now looks suspiciously like payback for the investigation, no?”
I think they’re worried about a lot more than just that.