U.S. plans to block more financial assets

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government plans to freeze the assets of several people and groups suspected of financing terrorist activities.

President Bush has blocked the assets of 27 people and organizations. The list will be expanded within a week, a Treasury official said Thursday. Dozens of additional names are under consideration.

Thursday was the deadline for 5,000 banks to provide federal investigators with information they had on the 27 people and groups named in Bush's Sept. 24 order.

Some names listed are similar to those of unconnected individuals and groups, so investigators are working with banks to check additional information such as date of birth, last known address and country of origin to make sure the correct accounts are blocked.

Since 1999, the United States and other countries have frozen $354 million in assets belonging to the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida terrorist network or their associates.