Global Terrorism Financing Report
July 2024 News
Hello, Insight Monitor subscribers! This week, we have our global terrorist financing report, which highlights terrorist financing news from around the world. The report is free to read for two weeks, after which time it goes behind a paywall. This is your can’t-miss summary of everything that happened in July in terrorist financing news. This month, we have another story on how extremists use our favourite crowdfunding platform, GiveSendGo, and we see significant terrorist financing activity being reported in Africa as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, which should come as no surprise to anyone following global terrorism trends. We hope you find this useful, and if you do, give it a share and a like! And don’t forget to subscribe to stay current on the latest in illicit financing and international security.
~Jess
North America
Over $7000 (US) has been raised through the GiveSendGo crowdfunding website for an Ontario member of the Goyim Defense League arrested in Tennessee on assault charges. The fundraiser appears to be organized by a Goyim Defense League member who was previously sentenced to twelve months in prison for charges related to the distribution of the group's antisemitic flyers
South America
Colombian police have arrested Larry Álvarez (aka Larry Changa), one of the founders of the Tren de Aragua prison gang, near Circasia. Álvarez is wanted in Venezuela and Chile for crimes including terrorism, financing terrorism, weapons trafficking, and extortion.
Central and Southeast Asia
Senior leaders of the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) have announced the group's disbandment, as reported by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC). A video statement from June 30 confirmed the dissolution and emphasized adherence to Indonesian law and orthodox Islamic teachings in JI-affiliated schools. The decision was influenced by senior leaders within JI opposed to violent jihad and an attempt to protect the group's schools, its most significant source of ongoing funding and recruits. Despite this, there are concerns about potential splinter factions that may exploit existing connections for financing terrorism.
The Philippines authorities have frozen the accounts of a small NGO, the Leyte Center for Development Inc on accusation of terrorism financing for several months without comment or charges. Executive Director Jazmin Jerusalem has participated in protests against the use of the Anti-Terror Act of 2020 by the Department of Justice (DOJ). On Negros Island in the Philippines, Human Rights Advocates of Negros (HRN) is claiming that the army is harassing development workers from Paghidaet sa Kauswagan Development Group, also on terrorism financing chargers
Armed groups in Mindanao, Philippines, including the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), are financing their activities through smuggled Indonesian cigarettes, according to security expert Prof. Rohan Gunaratna. Indonesian cigarette exports to the Philippines reached $137 million in 2021, yet these figures do not appear in official Philippine import data. Smuggling routes go through Palawan, Zamboanga, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, with private ports facilitating the illicit trade. The Philippine government loses an estimated P100 billion (USD 1.7 Billion) annually due to cigarette smuggling.
Afghanistan
A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report has revealed significant collaboration between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Afghan Taliban in cross-border terrorist operations targeting Pakistan. Taliban-captured NATO weapons from Afganistan are being transferred to the TTP with Al-Qaeda funding weapon purchases. With the Taliban's approval and support, TTP has escalated its attacks primarily against Pakistani military installations. The report identifies key figures like Abu Ikhlas-al Masri collaborating with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in training TTP suicide bombers. TTP has been implicated in the attack on Chinese workers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Taliban's reluctance to act against TTP is due to close ties and a significant debt owed to the group.
The Taliban has appointed Noor Ahmad Agha, known as the "financier of bomb-making," as the governor of Afghanistan's central bank. Agha was designated an international terrorist by the United States and previously served as the deputy governor of the Taliban-controlled central bank. Agha is under sanction by the US, EU, and UN.
The Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information that disrupts the financial mechanisms of ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K). Based in Afghanistan, ISIS-K finances its operations through natural resource extraction, local donations, taxation, extortion, and financial support from ISIS. They also engage in illicit tobacco sales, reselling luxury goods, and use the hawala system and digital currencies for money laundering. The U.S. Department of State seeks information on entities aiding ISIS-K, including front companies, financial institutions, donors, and businesses.
India and Pakistan
Syed Saleem Jahangir Andrabi, a key conspirator in procuring and selling narcotics to generate funds for terrorist activities in collaboration with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in Kashmir was arrested by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is seeking the death penalty for Kashmiri terrorist Yasin Malik in a terrorism funding case. The NIA is challenging a Delhi High Court ruling that sentenced Malik to life imprisonment. The NIA argues that Malik's crimes, including killing four Indian Air Force personnel and masterminding the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, are "rarest of rare" and deserve the death penalty. The Deli High Court justice assigned to the case has recused himself.
The Delhi Police are investigating NewsClick chief Prabir Purkayastha in a terrorism funding case and summoned five people, including US-based Neville Roy Singham and his business partner Jason Pfetcher, to join the probe. Pfetcher responded that his private foundation, People’s Support Foundation, funds NewsClick through the sale of ThoughtWorks, and has never received funds from any foreign government. NewsClick and Purkayastha were accused of funding terrorism, inciting protests, and having Maoist links. The Supreme Court granted Purkayastha bail in May, ruling his arrest was invalid.
Middle East
Syrian Democratic Forces have captured a major ISIS leader, Hazem Suleiman Al-Jibn, nicknamed 'Abu Omar,' in Raqqa. Abu Omar is accused of directing the financing and staffing of ISIS cells in northern Syria around the city.
Africa
The Somali Army successfully recaptured 20 vehicles that were being held for ransom by Al-Shabaab in the Lower Shabelle region. Al-Shabaab had been demanding a $300 ransom per vehicle.
Al-Shabaab’s financial operations have continued to thrive despite the Somali government's ongoing struggles to contain the group. The militant organization has diversified its revenue streams, including extortion, illegal taxation, and charcoal smuggling. Efforts by Somali authorities to disrupt these activities have been hampered by widespread corruption and limited resources. International partners have imposed sanctions and offered support, but these measures have yet to impact Al-Shabaab's robust financial network
The Banadir regional court in Mogadishu, Somalia has started the trial of Abdinur Fooley, a former director of a ministry in the South West region, for ties to Al-Shabaab. Fooley is accused of facilitating financial support for Al-Shabaab by opening a bank account through a relative, into which substantial funds were transferred. This case is among several high-profile trials of government officials suspected of collaborating with terrorist groups
The Counter ISIS Finance Group of the US Treasury Department sanctioned three people in Africa for financing the Islamic State. The sanctioned individuals are key financiers and enablers of ISIS activities in Africa. The US Department of State says the individuals moved money and recruited fighters for ISIS. Two South Africans, Abubakar Swalleh and Zayd Gangat were sanctioned for helping ISIS militants travel to and providing financial support to ISIS cells. Hamidah Nabagala, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is accused of supporting ISIS activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nigerian courts have convicted 125 Boko Haram militants and financiers for various terrorism-related offenses, including financing terrorism and providing material support. The mass trial, was held at a military detention facility in Kanji, Niger. Of the convicted, 85 individuals were found guilty of financing terrorism.
A Ugandan court has remanded Swalleh Abubakar, 31 following his arrest for allegedly providing logistics, and funds to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group affiliated with the Islamic State. Swalleh is accused of transferring recruits and material to the ADF from 2018 through 2024 across Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa.
Europe
The 2024 'White Boy Summer Fest' (WBS), a neo-Nazi gathering, networking and fundraising event in Finland's lake district (Ruovesi) was identified by Bellingcat. The festival featured performances by neo-Nazi bands and combat sports events, attracting far-right participants from Finland and Estonia.
Oceania
An Australian parliamentary inquiry has revealed that extremist groups are using unregulated social media platforms to promote their ideologies and raise funds. Australia's intelligence organization ASIO has identified right-wing and white supremacist extremism as a growing threat, with a concerning trend of youth radicalization. Researchers highlighted that neo-Nazi groups have used mainstream sites like X (formerly Twitter) to amass followers and fundraise, with one group raising $15,000 before their campaign was frozen.
Longer Reads
Part III: Modern Hezbollah - Atlas News
Evolution, current financing strategies, and influence of Hezbollah in contemporary geopolitical contexts.
Jihadist Politics and Statecraft - The Washington InsituteInstitute
An analysis of the operational, funding, and strategic dynamics of militant groups in the Middle East.
US-Canada Overview. - Acela Data
A profile of the Blood Tribe extremist group and details their recent land acquisition for a training camp.
A Globally Integrated Islamic State - War on the Rocks
Discusses the Islamic State's integration strategies and global operations post-territorial defeat.
Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) In Post US Withdrawal Afghanistan - Journal of Professional Research in Social Sciences:
Examines the rise, funding, and operational dynamics of ISIS-K in Afghanistan following the US military withdrawal.
White Supremacist and Anti‐Government Extremist Groups in the US - Global Network on Extremism and Technology
Insights into the funding mechanisms of the Proud Boys, including their use of the crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo.
Gaining Steam: Far-Right Radicalisation on Gaming Platforms - Global Network on Extremism and Technology
Discusses the increasing exploitation of gaming platforms by far-right extremist groups for radicalization, fundraising, and recruitment.
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