A man from Uzbekistan who joined a domestic charity and posed as supporting an "Africa well promotion project" to funnel donations to an international terrorist organization has been arrested by police.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's security investigation unit said on the 27th that, in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it arrested and detained a 29-year-old Uzbekistan national, A.
A is accused of operating eight social media (SNS) accounts, including Instagram, to spread Islamic extremism and illegally raising virtual assets USDT (626,000) (worth about 952 million won) under the pretext of supporting the "Africa well project."
Police found that A sent part of the funds to the virtual-asset wallets of KTJ (Katiaba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad), a UN-designated terrorist organization, and Hamas, an internationally sanctioned group. KTJ is an al-Qaida-affiliated group active in the Syrian civil war and is a radical armed force composed mainly of foreign fighters from Central Asia.
A is wanted in his home country for violating the Uzbekistan Criminal Act (supporting terrorist funds). In Korea, he entered on a student visa and was found to have stayed and operated around Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, and Anseong, Gyeonggi Province.
He raised funds not only online but also offline by organizing a soccer club among compatriots. On SNS, he posted incitement such as, "For Allah, let's go out to jihad (holy war)." Police are tracking A's accomplices and additional fund flows.
A faces charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Prohibition of Terrorist Financing Act, the Donations Act, and the Immigration Act, and could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to 100 million won.