US adds Saudi ISIS leader to terror list

A leader of ISIS' affiliate in Saudi Arabia was designated as a terrorist on Thursday, according to the State Department.

Mubarak Mohammad A Alotaibi, a 31-year-old Saudi citizen, was added as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" (SDGT), which imposes sanctions on foreigners determined to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals, national security, foreign policy or the economy of the United States.

Alotaibi is based in Syria, and is believed to be second in line to lead ISIS’ affiliate in Saudi Arabia.

According to the State Department, the action freezes any U.S.-based assets Alotaibi may have, and bans Americans from engaging in any “transactions or dealings” with him.

“Today’s action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Alotaibi has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism.”

— US State Department

“Today’s action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Alotaibi has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism,” the State Department said Thursday. “Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the U.S. financial system.”

The State Department not only runs a list of individual terrorists, but also tracks countries considered “State Sponsors of Terrorism.”

Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Trump administration was considering adding North Korea to that list. The Bush administration had removed North Korea from the list of states sponsoring terrorism in 2008.

A State Department official familiar with terrorism designations told Fox News that the department “consistently reviews” information and intelligence on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, calling it an “ongoing process.”

“Even without being designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, North Korea remains among the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world,” a State Department official told Fox News. “It is subject to a wide array of unilateral sanctions based on its announced nuclear detonations, ballistic missile activity, proliferation activities, human rights violations, and status as a communist state.”

Last month, the House of Representatives passed legislation, with overwhelming support, that would require Tillerson to review North Korea’s status.

Currently, only Iran, Syria, and Sudan have been designated by the State Department as State Sponsors of Terrorism.