WASHINGTON Ñ Several Western countries have frozen the assets of groups deemed linked to the Islamic opposition Hamas movement.

The countries include Canada, Italy and the United States. Both Canada and the United States listed measures against those groups believed to be funding Hamas and shut down their offices.

"With this action we go beyond the Al Qaida network to target groups whose violent actions are designed to destroy the Middle East peace process," U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said.

The groups affected are the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, based in Richardson, Texas. Four offices of the group Ñ which raised $13 million last year Ñ were shut down. FBI and Treasury agents seized documents from Holy Land offices in Richardson, Texas; Paterson, N.J.; San Diego, Calif.; and Bridgeview, Ill. The group denied any connection to Hamas, which is on the State Department list of terrorist organizations.

"This organization exists to raise money in the United States to promote terror," Ashcroft said.

The other Hamas-related groups targeted by the federal government are the Al Aqsa International Bank and the Beit El-Mal Holdings Co. Al Aqsa, founded in 1997 with $20 million in capital, is owned by the Jordanian Islamic Bank and by Beit El-Mal.

On Sept. 6, five days before the Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington, the FBI raided the offices and froze the assets of Infocom, a company which shares office space and personnel with Holy Land. The two groups were said to have been financed by Hamas leader Mussa Abu Marzouk.

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