US Imposes Sanctions On Owners Of AMIGO Supermarket Abuja

The U.S. government imposed sanctions on Hezbollah members and assets
on Thursday -- but these sanctions did not hit the Shiite extremist
organization in Lebanon, where it is based, or even in the Middle
East.

They were levied on three Hezbollah figures, an amusement park and a
supermarket based in Nigeria, showing the vast reach of the
Iran-backed group. Mustapha Fawaz, Fouzi Fawaz and Abdallah Tahini,
all born in Lebanon, are accused of being part of the group's "Foreign
Relations Department" in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

The Fawaz brothers, who have citizenship in Lebanon, Nigeria and
Sierra Leone, own Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park and
Resort in Nigeria. But according to the statement announcing U.S.
sanctions, they are really running a Hezbollah front.

"The FRD [Foreign Relations Department of Hezbollah] claims to be in
charge of "community relations;" but the primary goal of the FRD in
Nigeria is to scout recruits for Hezbollah's military units, as well
as to create and support Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure for its
operational units in Africa and globally."

All three men were accused of working with the FRD. Tahini's
responsibilities included, according to the U.S. Treasury, recruiting
and supporting Hezbollah's African networks.
--Leadership