THE US Government last night accused a charity that was based in the North-East of being a front for an al Qaida terror group.

Treasury officials ordered a worldwide clampdown on the Sanabel Relief Agency.

The US said the charity, which until recently had offices in Middlesbrough, was a vehicle to transfer money and documents for terrorists based overseas.

The agency, which also has offices in Birmingham and Manchester, was registered with the UK Charity Commission in November 2000.

According to the group's website its stated objectives are "to aid and relieve Muslims in the destitute parts of the world".

It is raising money for "brothers and sisters" in Afghanistan.

But Treasury officials painted a very different picture last night.

They said it was a front to help finance the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), a terror organisation aligned with al Qaida.

In a statement, the US Government said: "While the Sanabel Relief Agency (SRA) characterises itself to the public as a charitable organisation, its first priority is providing support to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group's jihadist activities.

"Libyan Islamic Fighting Group's fundraising charity is the SRA, which is controlled by leaders of the LIFG.

"Directors of SRA use the charity as a vehicle to transfer money and documents for terrorist activities overseas."

US officials said that prior to 9/11 the SRA had an office in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where the former head of the SRA in Kabul was "known to have ties to the LIFG."

He was later believed to have been arrested in Pakistan with al Qaida leader Abu Zubaydah.

The LIFG was formed in 1995 by Libyans who had fought against Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

They declared the government of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi Un-Islamic and pledged to overthrow it.

It claimed responsibility for a failed assassination attempt on Col Gaddafi in 1996 and clashed many times with Libyan security forces.

Since the 1990s British and American intelligence believe the group has splintered, following a security crackdown, sending members to other Middle Eastern countries and Europe. However, they believe it still has several hundred members.

The US Treasury said: "The group is part of the wider al Qaida-associated movement that continues to threaten global peace and security."

A Cleveland Police spokes-man said: "SRA closed its office in Gresham Road, Middlesbrough, in early 2005 and no longer has any offices or links in the Cleveland area."

As well as the charity, five men and three companies have also had their assets frozen. Two of the companies, Sara Properties Limited and Ozlam Properties Limited, are based in Liverpool.

A third, Meadowbrook Investments Limited, has an address in Bristol

The charity, Sanabel Relief Agency Limited, has addresses in Birmingham, Manchester, Middlesbrough and London.

Three of the men, Abd Al-Rahman Al Faqih, 46, Ghuma Abd'rabbah, 48, Abdulbaqi Mohammed Khaled, 48, are said to be based in Birmingham.

The other two were named as Tahir Nasuf, 44, of Manchester, and Mohammed Benhammedi, 39, of the Midlands.

All the men have a number of aliases.

The US Treasury said Al-Faqih was a senior leader of the LIFG and involved in providing false passports and money to its members worldwide.

It said he was found guilty in absentia in Morocco for involvement in a series of suicide bombings in Casablanca in May 2003, which killed more than 40 people, and was suspected of being carried out by the Moroccan Islamic Combat Group.

Abd'rabbah was described as an associate of al-Faqih and one of three trustees of Sanabel, while Khaled was said to be a director of the charity.

Nasuf, a ''middle-ranking member of the LIFG'', was said to be previously associated with senior UK-based Libyans with ties to the al Qaida-affiliated Armed Islamic Group.

Benhammedi is accused of being a ''key financier'' for the LIFG and a member of its ''economic committee'', providing funds through Sara Properties, Meadowbrook Investments and Ozlam Properties.

There was no answer at the Birmingham headquarters of the Sanabel Relief Agency. It has an address in South Road in the Sparkbrook area of the city.

It also has addresses in Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, Gresham Road, Middlesbrough, and Anson Road, London.

Muslims in Middlesbrough spoke of their shock last night.

Ali Luft, chairman of the Abu Bakr Mosque, said: "I don't think there is anyone supporting al Qaida. There will be individuals - ignorant, stupid individuals - but to think of any organisation is impossible."

Mohammed Majid, a spokesman for the town's Brighter Future organisation, said: "This really astonishes me and, I strongly believe, everybody in the local community.

"If I knew someone was planning some activity that would hurt anybody it would be my obvious duty to report it.

"Islam protects life and freedom of speech."