Daniel Grant🕵️‍♂️’s Post

While Europe slept…. Looked the other way and preferred to ignore Hamas's built a sophisticated spiderweb alike extensive network in Europe ELNET's investigation identified approximately 30 organizations and individuals with alleged ties to Hamas, some of which were formally designated by Western nations, who operate freely across the continent despite Hamas’s designation as a terrorist organization by the European Union and various other governments. actors operating in an all-European context, with individuals including Majed Al-Zeer (Germany), Mohammad Hannoun (Italy), Adel Doghman (Austria), Amin Abou Rashed (the Netherlands), Zaher Birawi (UK), and Mazen Kahel (France). In a noteworthy coincidence, the first three individuals – Zeer, Hannoun and Doghman – were all designated only last week by the US treasury for their work for Hamas, while the fourth one, Abou Rashed, has been detained for almost a year in the Netherlands and is currently being tried for alleged financing of Hamas worth millions of Euros. In the reports, these six officials are claimed to be acting as Hamas’s operatives in each of their respective countries In light of these findings, ELNET urges European governments to take swift action by thoroughly investigating and shutting down these Hamas-affiliated organizations in order to prevent Hamas from further destabilizing both the Middle East and Europe. Banks and financial institutions must closely monitor the activities of the individuals named in the reports and review their financial dealings to prevent further support for terrorist activities.G https://lnkd.in/dsy-ZpHZ

Designating Russia a terrorism sponsoring state by the US combined with seizing Russia's sovereign assets in the US is a morally applaudable but a nevertheless a damaging and a shortsighted step. While Russia's actions call for calling it a state sponsor of terrorism, and not seizing whatever the assets it has in the US, there is a bigger Goal than a simple punishment Such a designation imposes a plethora of sanctions on a targeted country. However, by and large, all of them are either already in place against Russia, or unapplicable now (ban on suppotting IFI’s loans, fir exaple). However, the designation lifts a sovereign immunity, allowing individuals to sue Russia as a state and seek compensation for war damages in US courts. In a view of this provision, a seizure of the assets should be partly, or entirely moved to some DoJ accounts as collateral for the lawsuits. Not only that Ukraine would not get the money now, but after years of legal battles it would be shared between lawyers and Ukranian citizens, rich and connected enough to launch such lawsuits. So, instead of helping Ukraine’s defence or reconstruction, it would only help people, who might well live without this help. I assume, there is more political myopia than an outright corruption in such calls

🚨🗞All the #TerroristFinancing news from June in one place! Our monthly Global Terrorist Financing Report is out now and free to read for a short while. Share and read, and learn about how terrorists finance their activities and how we counter it: https://lnkd.in/gsQkYYQH

Russia is endangering global financial security, facilitating terrorist financing, and posing a threat to nuclear non-proliferation and wider int'l security. To tackle the growing risks: 1️⃣ We call on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the leading international organisation founded by the G7 and responsible for monitoring and combating money laundering and terrorism financing, to BLACKLIST russia at its next plenary in June. 2️⃣ We call on national jurisdictions to designate Russia as a high-risk country to protect their businesses from the impacts of illicit financial activities, including trade between Russia, North Korea and Iran. More on Russian financial links with Iran and North Korea: bit.ly/3w5C8UF #RussiaIsATerroristState

FATF TO DECIDE ON BLACKLISTING RUSSIA Next week, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will consider adding Russia to its high-risk “blacklist.” Suspended from FATF since 2023 due to the invasion of Ukraine, this potential downgrade could have severe economic and reputational impacts, placing it alongside nations like Iran and North Korea. Ukraine has been pushing for this since April 2022, citing Russia’s financial ties to high-risk countries and the funding of militias like the Wagner Group. Channels such as Telegram and cryptocurrencies are also flagged as part of Russia’s network for terrorist financing and laundering assets from Ukraine. An internal FATF review body will meet on October 22, determining the future of Russia’s financial standing on the global stage.

Today, the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs, a national security non-governmental organization based in Washington, DC, released a new report entitled, “How Iran’s Threat and Illicit Networks Finance Chaos and Malign Influence to Destabilize U.S. Interests in the Americas and Globally“, co-authored by Douglas Farah and David M. Luna 🦏 🌎 🐘 Threat Convergence ≜ Kine-Dynamics M. Luna. The New ICAIE policy brief highlights how as Iran is expanding its global security footprint, it poses an existential threat to not only peace and security in the #MiddleEast, but also to strategic American #nationalsecurity interests in LatinAmerica. “Iran, through its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is undertaking subversive active measures through its embassies, terrorist proxies, and criminal networks in Latin America to destabilize democracies and exert political influence, penetrate markets, and increase sway with corrupt ruling elites” said David Luna, ICAIE’s Executive Director. Similar to its modus operandi in the Middle East of using proxies to advance its geo-security interests and have plausible deniability, Iran leverages proxy power forces in #LatinAmerica by “exploiting existing regional weaknesses—such as organized crime networks—to provide Iran with the ‘cover’ needed to pursue its strategic policy in the Americas.” The #Iran-financed chaos and malign influence in the Americas also has a geopolitical ripple effect globally, that impacts U.S. national security in other corners of the world. In a vulnerable region where Latin authoritarian regimes increasingly rely on repression, censorship, corruption, and alliances with transnational criminal forces, the deepening partnerships with #China, Iran, and #Russia accelerate democratic backsliding, economic stagnation, instability, and collapse of the rule of law. Iran’s threat and illicit networks today have advanced an array of malign influence and political interference activities in the Americas intended to harm the United States through multiple military, intelligence, security, diplomatic, and criminal operations. #Hezbollah #IHTN Over the past two decades, Iran and its allies have worked aggressively to expand their activities and influence operations around Latin America. These activities have come under increasing scrutiny since Iran’s support for Islamic militants became a topic of recent international debate, following the #Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. ICAIE’s report underscores the need to view Iran’s activities in the Western Hemisphere through a strategic prism of asymmetrical warfare and gray zones. This includes Iran’s alliance of convenience with foreign malign influence networks with other extra-regional state actors such as China and Russia. WASHINGTON, DC February 12, 2024 #GPC #maligninfluence #terrorist #terroristfinancing #moneylaundering #illicittrade #disinformation #threatconvergence

What a month June has been in the terror financing world! And if you scroll through everyday geopolitical developments you'd notice more and more stories about terror financing and the counter efforts that go with it. Have a read of June's report by Insight Threat Intelligence Ltd for lots of fascinating and actionable intelligence.

New Post: #Breaking: #Iran’s Misleading Accusations About the Origins of #ISIS and Al-Qaeda. #ECIPS President #Baretzky’s Bold Response - https://lnkd.in/dQAyiJC7 Centre for Information Policy and Security (ECIPS) President Ricardo Baretzky has firmly responded to Iran’s claims that the United States is responsible for creating and supporting terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda. In his statement, Baretzky dismissed these accusations as not only misleading but also as a dangerous narrative aimed at creating divisions between Iran and its neighbors. He emphasized that the roots of radicalism and the spread of extremist ideologies are not a product of European or American initiatives but are deeply entrenched in the machinations of fundamentalist networks determined to fund and propagate their terroristic agendas globally. The Yin in the Bottle Analogy Baretzky likened the Iranian allegations to “a Yin in a bottle,” suggesting that they are reflective of a twisted and captive perspective, disconnected from reality. “Radicalism spreading Islamic idealism in the West is not made by Europeans or Americans,” Baretzky stated. “It is driven by fundamentalists who will do anything to fund their terrorism activities.” According to Baretzky, Iran’s accusations serve as a smokescreen to divert attention from its own clandestine financing activities, which have long been suspected of fueling extremist groups. The End of Secret Financing Projects in Europe In a pointed warning, Baretzky declared, “We have news for Iran: The days of running secret financing projects in the EU to fund your terrorism are over.” His comments highlight a growing consensus among European security experts that clandestine funding operations within EU borders, often linked to states like Iran, have been critical to the sustenance of global terrorist networks. He further noted, “Those in the EU who know what’s going on will agree; those who don’t will whine like Yins captured in a bottle.” A New Era of Accountability in Europe Baretzky’s remarks align with broader European and international efforts to crack down on financial channels that support terrorism. The EU has increasingly emphasized financial transparency, with mechanisms like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directives playing pivotal roles in curbing illicit financial flows. These measures are part of a larger strategy to dismantle the economic foundations of terrorist organizations, targeting not just individuals but also states that are believed to be complicit. Iran’s Alleged Role in Terror Financing Over the years, Iran has faced accusations from multiple nations and international bodies of supporting terrorist organizations. The U.S. Department of State has long designated Iran as a state sponsor of

🌞 We continue to celebrate #CFS10! One of our earliest topical programmes was founded in 2015 to research and scrutinise the implementation of the newly established #FATF standard of Counter Proliferation Financing or #CPF. Since then, CFS has become a well-established provider of technical assistance in compliance for both governments and private sector actors. The initial focus of #CPF as a financial crime-prevention standard was on efforts of the #UN and #FATF to stop the funding of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction programme as well as Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear programme. Fast forward to 2024, and its wider application has never been more relevant. With media constantly reporting on new lines of cooperation between the Russian Federation and North Korea, as well as Iran, can we go beyond the definitions of targeted financial sanctions #TFS and expand the umbrella of ‘proliferators’ to other malign actors of the future? #CFS researchers are exploring this and other questions surrounding CPF in the most recent publications. 📄 See what our experts say on latest developments regarding North Korea, Russia and preventing proliferation 👇 Russia Just Gutted the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea – What Now?https://lnkd.in/erZwGTRP     Shopping for Mass Destruction: North Korea’s Illicit Procurement Networks https://lnkd.in/etaU-A99 A Whole New World for the Financial Action Task Force? https://lnkd.in/eahW_GbX North Korea’s Diplomatic Sanctions-Busting Network Adapts to Changing Times https://lnkd.in/e7CgQs2K 📄 Read our recent guidance papers on CPF 👇 Challenges for Counter-Proliferation Finance and Sanctions Control in Banking https://lnkd.in/e87GsP5b Institutional Virtual Asset Service Providers and Virtual Assets Risk Assessment Guide https://lnkd.in/eGxNu4Mm Institutional Proliferation Finance Risk Assessment Guide https://lnkd.in/e2cjHJne All of our resources can be found at www.rusi.org/cpf. Tom Keatinge| Wojciech Pawlus| Fatima Busra A.| Chandana Seshadri| Dr. Daryna Dvornichenko| Robert Rogers| Aaron Arnold| Allison Owen| Noémi També, PhD| Andrew Mackay CAMS CCI

🇹🇷 Turkey should remain on the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) grey list, as it continues to serve as a hub for terror financing despite recent reforms. FATF's analysis is incomplete, focusing primarily on Turkey's adoption of cryptocurrency-related legislation while ignoring its support for terrorist groups like Hamas. Turkey provides a safe haven, material, and financial support to Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. Turkey has facilitated the establishment of NGOs that support Hamas' #aml #cft #antimoneylaundering #governance #compliace #kyc #cdd #duediligence #regulatory #onboarding #security #fatf #counterterrorism #financialintelligence #fraud #bank #banking #fintech #cryptocurrency #amla #fatf #finsec #fiu #financialcrime #penalty #fines #verification #scheme #scam #moneymule #underground #moneylaundering #terroristfinancing #cooperation #amlcft #followthemoney #sanctions #taxevasion