The United States has taken a decisive step of blacklisting 20 individuals and 29 companies accused of financing terror operations of ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Maldives. Mathew Miller, the spokesperson of the US State Department said the aim of such sanctions is to terminate and disrupt financial flow of funds to terror groups operating in the Maldives.
Links with ISIS, Al-Qaeda
The sanctions were announced on Monday by the US Department of State and Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The list includes 18 facilitators associated with ISIS and ISIS-Khorsan (ISIS-K) and two al-Qaeda groups, along with 29 affiliated companies.
These entities have been found to have links with a prominent ISIS-K recruiter Mohammad Ameen, who was designated in 2019 by the US Government. Moreover, it has come across that some of the blacklisted individuals have been directly involved in instances of violence against journalists and local authorities.
The measures taken by the US were specifically targeted at an ISIS-affiliated Cell-based in the Addu City of Maldives, a criminal gang Kuda Henveyru and associates of al-Qaeda and Mohammed Ameen.
Miller said that the United States is committed to countering the threats of terrorist activities and ensuring the disruption of terror financing networks at both local and international levels. Most recently, the US hit a Somalian man with sanctions stating that he is financing the ISIS branch of his country.
Acts of Terrorism
Officials of the Biden Administration have stated that the Addu City ISIS Cell has carried out multiple attacks involving explosive devices and unmanned aerial vehicles since 2018. Its self-proclaimed leader, Jinaau Naseem is one of the sanctioned individuals. Faris Mohamed Didi and Ali Nihadh are both members of the Addu City Cells operational team. They were both involved in explosive device attacks and spreading ISIS propaganda.
The Biden administration has also accused Kuda Henveyru of committing large robberies to generate funds for Maldivian ISIS foreign terrorist fighters in Syria. Maldives-based companies such as Street Investments Pvt Ltd and White Beach Watersports Pvt Ltd are controlled by Alif Ibrahim who manages Kuda Henveyru’s finances. Abdulla Ali Manik, who is another one of the ISIS associates, undertook several terrorist plots in the Maldives while maintaining direct contact with Mohammed Ameen.
Ahmad Agleel is the leader of al-Qaeda’s functional arm in the Maldives. He also has ties with the al-Nusrah front whose members were involved in financing the travel of Maldivian nationals in Syria. Agleel was involved in the murder of a Maldivian journalist in 2014.
Implications of Sanctions
As an effect of imposed sanctions, all US properties and property interests of these individuals and companies will be frozen and must be reported to OFAC. Moreover, any other entity owned directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, by the blocked person will also be blocked.
In Addition, financial institutions and other individuals who choose to engage in transactions with sanctioned entities will be exposed to the effects of sanctions themselves or will be subjected to enforcement. OFAC can also prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening correspondent accounts in the United States by foreign financial institutions on behalf of terrorists.
“Treasury’s actions today against ISIS and al-Qaeda operatives and facilitators continue our efforts to help prevent and disrupt financial and other support for terrorist attacks globally,” said Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
