The Bush administration has moved to freeze the assets of a Syrian man it says is aiding the insurgency in Iraq.
The U.S. government Tuesday formally designated Sulayman Khalid Darwish as a supporter of terrorism under an executive order President Bush signed in 2001.
The Treasury Department said Mr. Darwish, who is now in Syria, has provided tens of thousands of dollars to wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian suspected of leading the Iraq insurgency.
The department describes him as a close Zarqawi associate and says he also recruited fighters for Zarqawi's organization.
Today's action puts an automatic freeze on any assets Mr. Darwish may have in the United States.
The government has also submitted his name to a United Nations committee that will consider adding him to a consolidated list of terrorists tied to al-Qaida.
Some information for this report provided by Bloomberg.