South Korea has arrested four Uzbek nationals in Gwangju for allegedly using cryptocurrency to finance Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (KTJ), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group designated as terrorist by the UN and the United States since 2022. The primary suspect allegedly transferred approximately 4,267 USDT, worth around 6.3 million won, to KTJ across seven transactions between August 2025 and April 2026. The suspects also received over 30 million won in digital assets from KTJ, used to purchase 11 used cars and two excavators valued at 170 million won, exported to Syria between April and December 2025. All four were charged under South Korea’s Anti-Terrorism Fund Act. This case marks the first time South Korean authorities have detected digital assets being used to supply physical materials to a terror group.
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