US Department of Justice seizes millions in cryptocurrency from terrorist groups

The Justice Department has seized $2 million worth of cryptocurrency from terrorist groups in the Middle East, federal prosecutors announced Thursday, marking the U.S. government’s largest-ever takeover of online terrorist financing.

Justice Department officials from ISIS said funds from al-Qaeda and Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, could be used by those groups to buy weapons and train potential attackers.

"Two million dollars, they're going to buy a lot of equipment, a lot of weapons, they're going to fund training, they're going to buy a lot of airline tickets to fly around the world," said Attorney General John Demers, who heads the Justice Department's national security division. "It's going to dramatically change the way they operate."

The seizure, which also included 300 cryptocurrency accounts, four websites and four Facebook pages, highlights how terrorist groups have modernized their fundraising and planning in recent years, and how law enforcement has adapted to their long history of targeting criminals in their wallets.

Officials said the terrorist group has both posted transparent public information to solicit cryptocurrency and designed schemes to defraud unwitting donors, including a website allegedly set up by ISIS in February that purportedly sold personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. And the terrorist group often uses new technologies to transfer funds. (Chengdu Lianan)