BRITAIN: Chancellor Gordon Brown has ordered Britain's financial institutions to freeze any assets that might be held on behalf of the terror group that kidnapped and murdered Mr Ken Bigley in Iraq.
It is not known if the Tawhid and Jihad (JTJ) group led by Jordanian extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi holds funds in the United Kingdom.
However, Mr Brown gave the order to the Bank of England yesterday, triggering a search by some 600 banks and financial institutions, in the clear hope that this would prompt similar action in other countries.
This in turn could see al-Zarqawi's group eventually listed by the United Nations as a banned terrorist organisation, and so be unable lawfully to raise funds or hold money anywhere in the world.
Mr Brown told MPs: "We must do all in our power to ensure there is no hiding place for terrorists and no hiding place for those who finance terrorism."
In addition to the murder of Mr Bigley, Mr Brown said the group had been responsible for at least five other murders and a series of terrorist attacks across Iraq.
Mr Brown ordered the freeze under the Terrorism (UN Measures) Order 2001, making it a criminal offence for any financial institution to deal in any way with funds held by or on behalf of JTC.
The order - effecting measures agreed at the UN in 2001 - gives the power to block the assets of anyone "who commits, attempts to commit, facilitates or participates in the commission of acts of terrorism" and of those associated with them.
In a statement the Treasury said: "Chancellor Gordon Brown today instructed the Bank of England, as agent for Her Majesty's Treasury, to direct financial institutions that any funds which they hold for or on behalf of the group Jama'at al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad (JTJ) must be frozen with immediate effect."
Mr Brown told MPs this group had publicly admitted Mr Bigley's murder, as well as perpetrating a range of terrorist acts across Iraq.