Terrorist financing in the spotlight a decade after Sept. 11

With the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaching, financial policymakers are gearing up for a close look at how they are fighting terrorist financing.

On Sept. 8, the Treasury Department will convene a counter-terrorist-financing symposium, which will gather current and former government officials and private-sector experts to discuss their attempts to keep cash from reaching terrorist groups. 

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and John O. Brennan, the president’s deputy national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism, will headline the event.

Meanwhile, the House Financial Services subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is heading to New York City for a Tuesday hearing on those efforts. Daniel Glaser, deputy assistant Treasury secretary for terrorist financing, will be on hand to offer the White House’s take.

“Ten years ago our very way of life came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts,” said Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas), chairman of the subcommittee. “Following those attacks, the 9/11 Commission Report made clear that money is a requirement for a successful attack on the U.S. and her people abroad. We will seek to provide the public with a better understanding of how terrorism is financed and how the Treasury Department and local partners are working together to protect us.”