An Indian man was arrested in London on suspicion of funding terrorism and faced extradition to the US, where he is wanted by authorities over fraud and money laundering offences.
The arrest was part of wider joint action by the UK and US that targeted terror financing, the Metropolitan Police said.
Sundar Nagarajan, born in India’s Madurai city in the southern Tamil Nadu state, is also known as Kasiviswanathan Naga and Nagarajan Sundar Poongulam, said media reports.
He faced charges of helping launder money to evade US sanctions and fund the Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, which the UK government classified as a terrorist organisation in 2019.
Mr Nagarajan was detained in west London by officers from the National Extradition Unit following a request by US authorities and an international arrest warrant.
He was presented before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court and will appear in the same court again on 25 April.
In a press statement on Tuesday, the Met police said: “Sundar Nagarajan, (27.08.57) of Hayes UB3, was taken into police custody before appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this afternoon for commencement of extradition proceedings.”
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command also arrested one Nazem Ahmad on suspicion of funding terrorism.
“Ahmad is suspected of being a funding source for Hizballah, a proscribed terrorist organization,” the police statement said.
Sanctions against Mr Ahmad were announced by the UK government on Tuesday. The US also announced sanctions against Ahmad and a number of his associates on the same day.
A US treasury department release alleged that Mr Nagarajan acted as Mr Ahmad’s primary international accountant.
It said Mr Nagarajan is the central manager of financial ledgers detailing the network’s operations in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa.
He also facilitated payment for and shipment of art Mr Ahmad purchased from major auction houses and galleries, it said.
Following the arrests, detective chief superintendent Gareth Rees, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said the arrests are “the result of ongoing work and cooperation with our American colleagues, and are a key milestone in what is a complex investigation into terrorist financing”.
“Terrorist groups rely on financial support and funding for their activities and the NTFIU works closely with agencies in the UK and around the world to identify and take action against those people who provide and facilitate this funding,” he said.
