Britain freezes accounts of foundation with ties to bin Laden

LONDON -- Britain has frozen the accounts of a foundation believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida network, the Treasury said Tuesday.

Treasury chief Gordon Brown instructed the Bank of England to ensure that all financial institutions should freeze any assets of the Benevolence International Foundation.

The Treasury said there was strong evidence of personal contacts between senior officials of the foundation and al-Qaida members involved in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The Treasury said Britain's Charity Commission also was freezing the funds of Benevolence International (UK), although they had no immediate grounds for suspicion. The Treasury said the freeze was a temporary and protective measure.