The US Department of Justice has uncovered a cryptocurrency scheme financing the terrorists of HAMAS - INCRYPTED

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the dismantling of a terrorism financing scheme and the seizure of more than 200,000 USDT intended to support the activities of the terrorist organization HAMAS.

According to the agency's statement, the seized funds were traced from wallets used for collecting donations, allegedly controlled by HAMAS, which were used to launder over $1.5 million in virtual currency since October 2024.

The operation was carried out with the participation of U.S. District Attorney Edward Martin Jr., the head of the National Security Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, Sue J. Smith. Bai and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent (ФБР) Raul Boujanda from the Albuquerque office.

According to court documents, a group chat that claimed to be linked to HAMAS provided supporters with a variable list of at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses on one of the encrypted platforms.

Participants in the process were urged to transfer money to these accounts, after which the funds went into the operational wallet, went through a series of exchange operations, and were laundered with the help of suspected financiers and brokers. As a result, the total amount of collected and laundered funds exceeded $1 million.

Among the seized assets are addresses with cryptocurrencies worth approximately $89,900, as well as three additional accounts with a total amount of $111,500. They were registered to Palestinians living in Turkey and other countries, the statement said.

According to Buzhanda, countering terrorism remains a priority for the FBI, and by blocking access to Hamas's finances, it has weakened the organization's ability to operate.

It should be noted that from 2021 to 2023, HAMAS received about $41 million in cryptocurrencies.

In March 2024, regulators in the US and the UK imposed sanctions on crypto addresses that were associated with the GazaNow service — a financial intermediary for Hamas.