Former Congressman Mark Siljander Indicted for Money Laundering and Supporting Terrorism

Known for Christian Zeal, Siljander Apparently Wound Up in Islamic Entanglement

Former U.S. Representative Mark Siljander, who served during the Reagan administration, has been indicted for money laundering and other offenses by the FBI. The FBI press release detailing the charges against Siljander and others claims that Siljander played several roles in diverting U.S. aid money to terrorists identified as such by the U.S. Government, as well as being hired to help obtain the removal of an organization from a U.S. Government list of organizations suspected of supporting international terrorism.

The Daily Kos, in an article discussing former Republican Congressman Siljander's background from a religious perspective, has a series of quotes which illuminate his zealousness in representing his faith. It also discusses his transition to reconciling Christian-Islamic differences, which came out of his role in representing the U.S. in negotiations regarding Darfur in the Sudan. It appears that his troubles may have stemmed from contacts which, well-intentioned or not, turned into his alleged attempt to divert U.S. funds, change the government list, and eventually give false testimony about the situation.

According to the FBI, the situation in which Siljander found himself fell apart as the aid funding was conditional on matching funds raised by the organization. When the funds were allegedly transferred to terrorist operations and matching funds did not appear, the U.S. Agency for International Development required that funds be returned. Since that was not possible, they claim, false stories and deception ensued.

The eventual beneficiary of the funds, the FBI release says, was Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an "Afghan mujahideen leader and founder of the Hezb-e-Islami-Gulbuddin (HIG)." Hekmatyar was said to have a close working relationship with by al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and vowed holy war against the United States.