South African authorities arrest man suspected of using Bitcoin to fund terror

a law enforcement agency in South Africa recently arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of using cryptocurrency to fund terrorist activities. The investigation was launched in May 2018, when the Financial Intelligence Center (FIC) and the investigation team received information about suspicious transactions related to terrorism financing. It is alleged that on November 30, 2017, the suspect purchased $614 worth of Bitcoin through virtual asset service provider Luno and transferred the funds from the suspect's bank account to Luno's custody account. Subsequently, these Bitcoins were transferred to a wallet associated with an unnamed "independent" organization. The South African law enforcement department stated that preliminary investigations showed that these funds were transferred to provide weapons, economic assistance, and other projects to "participants" in another country. After determining the use of the funds, the South African law enforcement department conducted a raid on the suspect's residence on October 24th, and seized several items, including firearms that were not legally secured. The suspect is expected to appear in the Lichtenburg District Court on January 6th.