Govt loosens terror frozen funds requirement

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration has loosened a requirement that delayed lawyers from representing the father of alleged terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen and radical Muslim cleric who has been placed on a CIA list targeting him for death or capture.

Under a regulatory change that went in effect Dec. 7, attorneys working for free no longer have to obtain a license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control before representing clients who are placed on a terrorist list the office maintains.

The licensing requirement is designed to freeze terrorist assets and it still applies to attorneys who want to get paid out of frozen funds.