Kuwaiti charity denies US claims it supports Al Qaida

Kuwait City: A Kuwaiti charity and the government of the small oil-rich ally of Washington rejected on Sunday US accusations that the Islamic charity channels money and other support to extremist organisations including Al Qaida.

The US Treasury Department moved on Friday to financially clamp down on the Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, freezing any assets of the group found in the United States. Americans are also prohibited from donating money or doing business with the group.

American accusations were "incorrect, and not supported by any material evidence," the charity said in a statement. It denied any connections to Osama bin Laden's terror network, saying it works according to the laws of Kuwait, which is a "sovereign state."

Stuart Levey, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the Kuwaiti group used "charity and humanitarian assistance as cover to fund terrorist activity and harm innocent civilians, often in poor and impoverished regions."