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U.S. designates Palestinian man as terrorist

Xinhua, January 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United States on Wednesday blacklisted a purported leader of a Palestinian group as a specially designated global terrorist.

The State Department's move against 'Abdallah al-Ashqar entails sanctions against him that bar American citizens from doing business with him and freeze all of his assets under U.S. jurisdiction.

The Palestinian is reportedly a leader of the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC), which has been branded as a foreign terrorist organization by Washington, the agency said in a statement.

It said the man has sought missiles and other materials for launching attacks on Israel, a key U.S. ally in the region.

The department described the MSC as an umbrella group of several terrorist cells based in Gaza which has claimed responsibility for many attacks on Israel since its founding in 2012. Endite