A REPORT in Thursday's Financial Times and now picked up by Russian newspaper Pravda claims that Microsoft, Compaq, UBS and other multinationals contributed unknowingly to Bin Laden's Al Qaeda organisation.

Read more...

As soon as the connection was discovered, the tap was turned off, both papers claim.

The US Justice Department is piling up evidence against "Benevolence International", headed up by Enaam Aranaout, and the FT said Microsoft gave $20,000 to this charity but stopped contributing as soon as it realised there was evidence the money went into Al Qaeda coffers.

Compaq, before HP bought it last year, and UBS also contributed to the charity before they found out there was a terrorist connection.

Pravda, on the other hand, claims that an unknown number of "charities" are siphoning money to world wide terrorism. Its article concerns itself with alleged support for refugees from war stricken refugees.

Here's the FT piece, and here's Pravda, which has some Googlish links too.