Spanish police take down network funding ISIS with crypto
A network of ISIS-supporting jihadists that transacted €200,000 worth of crypto while being funded by criminals in Europe was dismantled by Spanish police this weekend.
According to Spain’s National Police Agency, five people allegedly involved with DAESH terrorists, otherwise known as ISIS, were arrested on Saturday as part of a two-and-a-half-year terrorist investigation.
In this period, the group allegedly planned two terror attacks and financed jihadists with crypto through international shipments made from criminal activities within Europe. Police reportedly seized €200,000 in crypto from the group.
One of the arrested individuals was reportedly radicalized in the months before their arrest and was close to carrying out an attack. When police searched their home, they discovered handgun ammunition and an axe. Police added that “Manuals for making explosives, manuals for indoctrination of minors and jihadist propaganda have also been seized from those detained.”
Read more: Islamic State tests NFTs for recruitment and financing
The investigation began when it uncovered someone living in Spain that was in collaboration with a jihadist planning to commit an act of terrorism in France. This prompted a joint operation between Switzerland and Spain that resulted in the arrest of eight individuals.
The initial two radicals were discovered to be a part of a wider network supporting ISIS across three continents. After discovering this, police in Spain began collaborating with twelve countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Maghreb, in an anti-terror investigation leading to Saturday’s arrests.
Got a tip? Send us an email or ProtonMail. For more informed news, follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.