Hezbollah in Chile....

Fund-raising in South America...

Leaked US embassy cables made public here report US suspicions that Hezbollah raised funds and maintained contacts among the Chile's small community of Islamic fundamentalists.

An unclassified embassy cable dated February 27, 2006, and released Tuesday by WikiLeaks, said a "radical fundamentalist presence" was centered in the northern city of Iquique, and to a lesser degree in Santiago.

"These fundamentalists who are known to be associated with Hezbollah are increasing their presence and activity in Chile," the cable said, adding the intelligence on them was insufficient to gauge their true intentions.

"There is substantial information that indicates that significant financial fund-raising for Hezbollah is taking place in northern Chile within the Muslim community," it said.