FBI Seizes $560,000 In Crypto Tied To Hamas Fundraising

FBI Seizes $560,000 In Hamas-Linked Crypto | Image by DX

The FBI seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency and took control of internet domains and servers that Hamas used to raise money and recruit supporters, the Justice Department announced.

The operation disrupted an ongoing financing network tied to Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, according to the department. The State Department designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.

“Your networks are not secure, your crypto is vulnerable, and we will not stop until your ability to wage war is defeated,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said.

Agents traced rotating crypto wallets

Unsealed court records show FBI confidential human sources contacted an email address posted on AlQassam.ps after online messages urged supporters to request donation instructions. The senders returned a rotating series of cryptocurrency wallet addresses, including addresses for Tether’s U.S. dollar-linked USDT stablecoin.

Investigators used blockchain analysis and crypto-exchange records to trace contributions as the network consolidated and moved funds through exchanges, over-the-counter brokers and digital bridge services, the affidavits allege.