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Atris Hussein, a Swedish national of Lebanese descent pleaded on Wednesday not guilty to charges of being related to Hezbollah and planning an explosion in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

Hussein was arrested in January 2012 at Bangkok's main airport as he tried to leave the country.

Upon inspecting his home, the Thai police found a large amount of chemical material which can be used to create a bomb.

On Tuesday, the United States imposed sanctions on four Lebanese citizens, accusing them of fundraising and recruiting on behalf of Hezbollah in West Africa.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the four men were sanctioned for effectively acting as "ambassadors" for Hezbollah, which Washington considers a terrorist group.

The move is part of a multi-year probe that has exposed what the U.S. government says are tight links between South American drug traffickers and Middle Eastern groups such as Hezbollah.
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