U.S. blacklists explosives expert of Lebanon-based militant group

The United States on Tuesday blacklisted Ibrahim Suleiman Hamad Al-Hablain, an explosives expert and operative for a Lebanon-based militant group, as a terrorist. The State Department said Al-Hablain, who works for the Abdullah Azzam Brigades (AAB), is a Saudi citizen currently wanted for extradition by the Saudi government for participating in extremist activities abroad. The man, also know as aka Abu Jabal, is also the subject of an Interpol Orange Notice issued on February 10, 2009 for activities related to terrorism, the agency said in a statement. It quoted media reports as saying that AAB claimed responsibility for the July 28, 2010 maritime bombing of a Japanese oil tanker, the M. Star, as well as for firing several rockets into Israel from Lebanon. "The actions taken against this individual demonstrate the United States' resolve in eliminating AAB's ability to execute violent attacks," said the State Department. As a result, all of Al-Hablain's property on U.S. soil is frozen and U.S. persons are barred from doing business with him.