A convicted terrorist and key ally of Osama bin Laden, the man suspected of masterminding the attacks in the United States, was a partner in a Hong Kong business that has raised funds for terror campaigns.
According to court transcripts, Wadih El-Hage - an American national - was involved in selling gemstones in the territory while he was working for the dissident Saudi millionaire.
The New York District Court heard that at the time of his capture, Lebanese-born operative El-Hage was planning a huge gemstone deal in Hong Kong for the Taleban regime.
His conviction, along with three accomplices this summer, gave a chilling insight into the financial web woven by bin Laden and his allies.
An outwardly respectable businessman, El-Hage set up a series of front companies in Africa for bin Laden's extremist Islamic organisation al-Qaeda. Rubies, sapphires, and tanzanite came flooding into Hong Kong after El-Hage linked up with a gem dealer who visited the SAR on a regular basis.
This trade was only exposed after al-Qaeda terrorists set off two huge car bombs in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998.