Global disruption of 3 terror finance cyber-enabled campaigns
WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury announced the dismantling of three terrorist financing cyber-enabled campaigns, involving the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, al-Qaeda, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (“ISIS”). This coordinated operation is detailed in three forfeiture complaints and a criminal complaint unsealed today in the District of Columbia. These actions represent the government’s largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrency in the terrorism context, following investigations by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit (Washington, D.C.), and Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington D.C., New York, and Los Angeles field offices.
These three terror finance campaigns all relied on sophisticated cyber-tools, including the solicitation of cryptocurrency donations from around the world. The action demonstrates how different terrorist groups have similarly adapted their terror finance activities to the cyber age. Each group used cryptocurrency and social media to garner attention and raise funds for their terror campaigns. Pursuant to judicially-authorized warrants, U.S. authorities seized millions of dollars, over 300 cryptocurrency accounts, three websites, and four Facebook pages all related to the criminal enterprise.
Funds successfully forfeited with a connection to a state sponsor of terrorism may in whole or in part be directed to the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (http://www.usvsst.com/) after the conclusion of the case.
Moar:
https://twitter.com/ICEgov/status/1294009596747624448
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/global-disruption-3-terror-finance-cyber-enabled-campaigns