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London teen charged with raising $1,300 for Al Qaeda

London teen charged with raising $1,300 for Al Qaeda

GrafaGrafa2024/11/03 00:00
By:Isaac Francis

A 16-year-old boy from East London is facing multiple terrorism charges for allegedly attempting to raise cryptocurrency for Al Qaeda. 

Prosecutors assert that the teenager styled himself as a crypto expert to attract the attention of the terrorist group, successfully raising approximately $1,300 in the process.

The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, has been charged with terrorist fundraising, training in acts of terrorism, and possession of documents containing information potentially useful for terrorism. 

According to a report from the Standard, he has pleaded not guilty to all five counts against him.

Following a hearing on October 30 at Westminster Magistrates Court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring referred the case to the Old Bailey for further proceedings on November 2.

The prosecution, led by Lee Ingham, claimed that the boy was “ideologically supportive of Islamic terrorist groups,” specifically Al Qaeda and TTP (the Pakistani Taliban).

Ingham stated that the suspect allegedly presented himself online as an expert in cryptocurrency and cybersecurity in an effort to appeal to terrorist organisations and facilitate fundraising on their behalf. 

As part of his bail conditions, the teenager is subject to a curfew, a social media ban, and restrictions on electronic device usage. 

He is allowed to use a laptop solely for educational purposes and can use a PlayStation but is prohibited from playing online with others or using it for communication.

The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding the use of cryptocurrency by terrorist organisations. 

According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, while most crypto-related crimes are linked to money laundering, fraud, and ransomware, terrorism financing remains a smaller portion of these illicit activities.

However, such crimes pose significant challenges for regulatory and law enforcement agencies globally.

Last year, Israel seized around 40 crypto wallets associated with the Quds Force and Hezbollah, marking a notable incident of sophisticated cross-border financing using digital assets.

Chainalysis noted that this represented one of the first public instances of state-sponsored entities utilising cryptocurrency in this manner.

Additionally, Hamas reportedly restructured its digital fundraising methods by shifting from Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) to the Tron (CRYPTO:TRX) blockchain for faster and more cost-effective transactions. 

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