3 days ago
The seized funds correspond conscionable a information of the much than $1.5 cardinal successful donations that the DOJ alleges flowed done the accounts.
Mar 27, 2025, 6:28 p.m. UTC
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized much than $200,000 successful cryptocurrency from respective wallets and speech accounts linked to the Palestinian militant radical Hamas, according to a Thursday announcement.
According to the FBI, much than $1.5 cardinal successful crypto — largely successful the signifier of donations from Hamas supporters astir the satellite — has flowed done the seized wallets and speech accounts since past October. The wallet addresses were allegedly promoted successful a radical chat claiming to beryllium associated with Hamas, a U.S. and European Union-designated violent organization, and donations were subsequently laundered done a bid of crypto exchanges and transactions.
“These seizures amusement that this bureau volition hunt precocious and debased for each cent of wealth going to money Hamas, wherever it is found, and successful immoderate signifier of currency,” U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. of the District of Columbia said successful a statement. “Hamas is liable for the decease of galore U.S. and Israeli nationals, and we volition halt astatine thing to halt their run of panic and murder.”
Approximately $90,000 successful crypto was seized from an undisclosed fig of wallets, and different $112,000 was taken from 3 speech accounts, according to the FBI’s release, and the accounts were registered to Palestinian individuals surviving successful Turkey “and elsewhere.”
The U.S. Treasury Department and different overseas governments person antecedently sanctioned Hamas-linked fiscal networks and facilitators of crypto transfers, seized Hamas-linked crypto accounts. In April 2023, Israel’s Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) seized astir 200 cryptocurrency accounts tied to Palestinian currency exchanges. According to a report from blockchain analytics steadfast TRM Labs, the NBCTF has seized “tens of millions” of dollars successful crypto from Hamas-linked accounts implicit the past fewer years.
According to the U.S. Treasury, Hamas has been utilizing cryptocurrency to determination immoderate of its wealth since astatine slightest 2020, successful bid to mitigate the risks of physically transporting currency and to evade fiscal monitoring.
Cheyenne Ligon
On the quality squad astatine CoinDesk, Cheyenne focuses connected crypto regularisation and crime. Cheyenne is primitively from Houston, Texas. She studied governmental subject astatine Tulane University successful Louisiana. In December 2021, she graduated from CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, wherever she focused connected concern and economics reporting. She has nary important crypto holdings.
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