An investigation originating from the FBI's field office in New Mexico has led to the seizure of $201,400 in cryptocurrency assets that was intended to finance Hamas, recently unsealed court documents allege.
According to the US Justice Department, the assets were traced from fundraising addresses controlled by Hamas "that were used to launder more than $1.5 million in virtual currency" since October 2024.
"These seizures show that this office will search high and low for every cent of money going to fund Hamas," said US Attorney Edward R Martin. "Wherever it is found, and in whatever form of currency,” he added.
The court documents allege that through the use of a Telegram group chat claiming association with Hamas "provided supporters worldwide with a changing set of at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses" to which they could donate crypto assets.
The document also said that "more than a million dollars" was laundered using the virtual currency workflow described in text messages.
The US Justice Department has claimed that some of the accounts "were registered in the names of Palestinian individuals living in Turkey and elsewhere".
Court documents also provide details about the evolution of Hamas crypto financing tactics, stretching back to 2019.
The seizure warrant said that Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, once boasted that Bitcoin donations "were untraceable and would be used for violent causes", but that in 2023, things had changed due to increased scrutiny and awareness of crypto.
Tactics shifted and later involved messages, emails and various crypto apps.
"It is preferable not to use the 'Binance' platform to transfer support and not to enter any data indicating our official name so that your wallet is not blocked and for your safety as well," reads an email from one of the scheme's perpetrators, according to the investigation.
Sue J Bai, head of the US Justice Department’s national security division, said the agency was committed to dismantling Hamas "using every tool at our disposal".
The investigation comes as President Donald Trump's administration continues to define its vision for an unrestrained cryptocurrency sector.
Crypto proponents were some of the most prolific contributors to Mr Trump's 2024 campaign as they sought less regulation compared to former president Joe Biden's approach.
Shortly after Mr Trump entered office in January, US officials dropped various lawsuits and investigations into crypto firms.
In early March, the President signed an executive order establishing a federal strategic Bitcoin reserve, and later hosted the first White House Crypto Summit.
In the Republican National Committee's 2024 platform, the party vowed to "end Democrats’ unlawful and un-American Crypto crackdown".
It's a completely about-face from 2021, when Mr Trump said in a Fox Business interview that Bitcoin, one of the flagship crypto brands, was a “disaster waiting to happen” and claimed that it hurt the dollar.
Despite increasing enthusiasm over the last decade, criticism and scepticism still abounds on crypto, which, unlike fiat currencies, lacks an overall regulatory apparatus and is mostly decentralised, making it appealing to groups with nefarious intentions.
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Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
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Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
