Ansar al-Sharia Terrorist Designation Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on whether the Libyan faction of Ansar al-Sharia meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization, and if not, a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met.
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Libyan faction of Ansar al-Sharia should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3082 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3082
To require a report on the designation of the Libyan faction of Ansar
al-Sharia as a foreign terrorist organization, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 11, 2013
Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself, Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Yoho,
Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Walberg, Mr. King of
Iowa, and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a report on the designation of the Libyan faction of Ansar
al-Sharia as a foreign terrorist organization, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ansar al-Sharia Terrorist
Designation Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON DESIGNATION OF THE LIBYAN FACTIONS OF ANSAR AL-SHARIA
AS A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi first announced itself in
February 2012. The group is led by Muhammad al-Zahawi, who had
previously been an inmate of former President Muammar al-
Qaddafi's infamous Abu Salim prison.
(2) On August 6, 2013, the Department of Justice filed
sealed criminal charges against Ahmed Abu Khattalah, a senior
commander within Libya's Islamist militia Ansar al-Sharia.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Abu Khattalah was
seen at the United States consulate in Benghazi during the
September 11, 2012, attack that killed United States Ambassador
Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen
Doherty.
(3) On October 17, 2012, the New York Times reported that
Libyan authorities named Ahmed Abu Khattalah as a commander in
the September 11, 2012, attack on the United States consulate
in Benghazi.
(4) On August 8, 2013, the Washington Institute for Near
East Peace issued a report in which it highlights Ansar al-
Sharia's establishment of training camps in Libya for jihadists
preparing to fight with extremist rebels in Syria.
(5) Abu Sufian Bin Qumu, leader of the Ansar al-Sharia
faction in Darnah, Libya, is a former Guantanamo Bay inmate
with close al-Qaeda ties. Bin Qumu was an associate of Usama
bin Laden and is believed to maintain connections to senior al-
Qaeda members.
(6) According to a report published by the Library of
Congress in August 2012, Ansar al-Sharia ``has increasingly
embodied al Qaeda's presence in Libya, as indicated by its
active social-media propaganda, extremist discourse, and hatred
of the West, especially the United States''.
(7) According to a report published by the Library of
Congress in August 2012, al-Qaeda's senior leadership in
Pakistan has dispatched operatives to Libya to establish a
clandestine terrorist network there. The report concluded that
al-Qaeda is on the verge of a fully operational network inside
Libya, and Ansar al-Sharia is one of the brands employed by al
Qaeda operatives.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in
consultation with the intelligence community, submit to the
appropriate congressional committees--
(A) a detailed report on whether the Libyan faction
of Ansar al-Sharia, meets the criteria for designation
as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189);
and
(B) if the Secretary of State determines that the
Libyan faction of Ansar al-Sharia does not meet such
criteria, a detailed justification as to which criteria
have not been met.
(2) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex if appropriate.
(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(i) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Armed
Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations,
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the
Senate; and
(ii) the Committee on Homeland Security,
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee
on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives.
(B) Intelligence community.--The term
``intelligence community'' has the meaning given that
term in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of
1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(4)).
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Libyan faction of Ansar al-
Sharia meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist
organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1189) and should be designated as such.
SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act may be construed to infringe upon the
sovereignty of the Government of Libya to combat militant or terrorist
groups operating inside the boundaries of Libya.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
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