An African media source is reporting that the son of Muslim Brotherhood figure Ahmed Nasreddin is expected to speak at an upcoming conference in Nigeria to be centered on NIgerian economic issues. According to the report Mr Attia Nasreddin, described as the chairman/CEO of NASCO Group in Jos, will be speaking at a conference titled “Deindustrialisation of Northern Nigeria: Which Way Out? to be held in Abuja and at which the Nigerian President will give the keynote address. All 19 governors of the northern states and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory are reported to be attending as the guests of honour. Ahmed Nasreddin, the original owner of NASCO Group, is an Italian businessman linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, who was born in Ethiopia and claims to be descended from royalty but now holds Italian citizenship although he was last known to be living in Morocco where he has additional business interests. Very little is known about him or his background but he first came to pubic attention as one of the founders of Bank Al-Taqwa, associated chiefly with Muslim Brotherhood figures Youssef Nada and Ghaleb Himmat. Mr. Nasreddin was recently removed from the U.S and the U.N terrorism lists and both Nasreddin and Nada were recently acquitted in Italy of terrorism financing charges and the Swiss investigation was dropped in June for lack of evidence. As previous posts have noted, however, there is reason to suspect that Nasreddin is somehow involved with activities relating to terrorism. He was the main financier of the Islamic Center of Milan where recruiting for Al Qaida took place, financially supported the International Islamic University in Islamabad sometimes called “Taliban U”, and one of his companies was found to be supplying videocassettes to the GIA. Also intriguing is a Reuters photo taken of an individual identified as Ahmed Nasreddin on the Lebanese/Israeli border which was identifies Nasreddin as a “Hezbollah Sheikh.”
(Source: Africa News February 4, 2008 Monday “Nigeria; Leadership Organises Conference On Deindustrialisation of Northern Region”)