Türkiye freezes thousands of terrorism-linked assets in 11 years
Turkish authorities have ordered the freezing of millions of lira worth of assets since 2013 to crack down on terrorism financiers in line with U.N. sanctions.
Türkiye has increasingly been working to cut off and prevent the financing of terrorism, a pillar of the fight against terrorism worldwide. In the past 11 years, it has frozen the assets of 1,918 individuals and organizations, according to official figures compiled by the Anadolu Agency (AA).
These included 490 targets per U.N. sanctions, 96 targets per requests from other countries and 1,332 domestic targets between 2013 and 2024.
Authorities found that of the 1,332 individuals and organizations targeted in Türkiye, 655 were linked to the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), 275 were linked to the PKK, 259 to Daesh and al-Qaida, 11 to the Nusra Front and 132 to other terrorist organizations.
Furthermore, authorities froze 1,086 immovable assets, 135 vehicles, two yachts and 162 companies, as well as TL 105,818,451 ($3,280,460), $2,781,123 and 339,463 euros ($368,541) in this period.
The U.N. Security Council passed sanctions for the fight against terrorism financing in 2001 to bolster international cooperation.
Türkiye collaborates with many governments worldwide to target said financiers. Ankara, working in tandem with Washington, agreed to freeze two separate assets in the past year, including one of a Daesh-related network, in January 2023.
The crackdown is also part of Türkiye’s efforts to exit the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list.
The watchdog said in February that Türkiye had “substantially completed” the steps for its removal from the list, praising its “high-level political commitment” to work with the force in October 2021 to strengthen the effectiveness of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counterfinancing Terrorism (CFT) systems.
The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, as well as the United States and the European Union. It operates in northern Syria through its local offshoot, the YPG, which has occupied a chunk of the country’s northeast since 2015 with military support from the U.S.
Terrorists from the PKK/YPG and Daesh rely on a network of members and supporters in Türkiye. In response, Ankara has been conducting pinpoint operations and freezing assets to eliminate the terrorist groups at their roots.
In December last year, Turkish intelligence captured a top Daesh terrorist in charge of the terrorist group’s finances in the Damascus region in an operation in Türkiye’s southern Mersin province.
Over $28,000, 14,950 euros, TL 31,800 and digital materials were confiscated in the operation targeting Hudhaifa al-Mouri, code-named “Ayyoub,” who was responsible for coordinating funds sent to Daesh members abroad.
Daesh remains the second biggest threat of terrorism for Türkiye, which is embattled with security risks from multiple terrorist groups.
The PKK also operates a vast network of sympathizers and members stationed overseas for both political and financial support, notably including European countries like Germany, France and Belgium, as well as Iraq and Syria.
These cells raise funds for the group under the guise of donations and transfer them to operatives planted in Türkiye or fighters in Iraq and Syria.
According to the Interior Ministry, Turkish security forces arrested some 163 suspects wanted for allegedly helping fund terrorists and seized over TL 28 million raised for terrorist groups in 2023 alone.
Authorities have been developing strategies to counter illegal betting and virtual gambling platforms, which also provide significant funds to terrorists. Meanwhile, the Cybercrime Department audited 1,000,043 accounts and found 19,948 linked to terrorism. Some 190 suspects were detained in ensuing operations.
Source » dailysabah.com
