Veterans who were injured by an IED bomb may be eligible to file a lawsuit against financial institutions that may have sponsored terrorism.

While serving the military during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, members of the U.S. military face a variety of threats including insurgent bombings. Weapons used against the U.S. military include IEDs, EFPs, and RAMs.

An IED bomb, otherwise known as an improvised explosive device, is an explosive which uses a detonating mechanism. IEDs are commonly used as roadside bombs and have been responsible for a large number of deaths. It is estimated that an IED bomb was involved in 63 percent of deaths during the Iraq War and 66 percent of deaths during the Afghanistan War from 2001 to the present.

EFPs, also known as explosively formed penetrators, have been described as “the most lethal weapon American forces faced in Iraq” by the New York Times. These explosives are particularly deadly because they are capable of piercing armor, meaning that insurgents can hide far off of the road and still attack U.S. forces from as far as 100 yards away.

RAMs, or improvised rocket assisted munitions, are propane tanks filled with explosives and powered by 107mm rockets. These explosives were often launched from the back of a truck and deployed using a remote control during the Iraq War.

These explosives are deadly and have caused countless injuries. Although the situation may seem hopeless for those injured, they may be eligible to recover compensation under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The Anti-Terrorism Act was passed in 1992 and prohibits the financial sponsoring of terrorist groups.

The Anti-Terrorism Act, 18 U.S. Code § 2333, states the following: “Any national of the United States injured in his or her person, property, or business by reason of an act of international terrorism, or his or her estate, survivors, or heirs, may sue therefor in any appropriate district court of the United States and shall recover threefold the damages he or she sustains and the cost of the suit, including attorney’s fees.”

This clause allows veterans injured by terrorism, such as an IED bomb attack, to seek compensation from parties who may have contributed to the sponsoring of terrorism.

In 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen, who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, confirmed to the public that IED bomb attacks and other terrorist operations may have been completed with weapons sent from Iran.

“Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shia groups, which are killing our troops,” Adm. Mullen said in his statement. “They are shipping high-tech weapons in there—RAMS, EFPs—which are killing our people and the forensics prove that.”

In order to prevent further terrorism sponsored by Iran, Congress placed sanctions against the county, hoping to limit their ability to make and deploy weapons. However, the country reportedly found banks around the world who were willing to help them evade sanctions in exchange for large profits.

These financial institutions are often the target of IED bomb lawsuits. Some banks have already pleaded guilty to settle these lawsuits, including HSBC of UK, BNP Paribas of France, and Germany’s Commerzbank.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed by an IED or EFP while fighting in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, legal recourse is available. Get help now by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or anti-terrorist class action lawsuit is best for you. (In general, anti-terrorist lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.) After you fill out the form, the attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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