Did ISIS really use bitcoin to fund the Paris attacks?Shortly after the Paris attacks of November 13th, a number of news outlets began to circulate a story that had been brewing since 2014: ISIS had been using the bitcoin cryptocurrency to surreptitiously fund its terrorist activities around the globe.
The idea first began to propagate in the popular media upon the discovery of an ISIS-linked blog in July of 2014. Entitled "Bitcoin and the charity of violent physical struggle," the blog described the theoretical use of Bitcoin donations to fund jihadist activities in an "untrackable" fashion.
On the strength of that article, the author, a Virginia resident named Ali Shukri Amin, then proceeded to use his Twitter account to encourage his 4,000 followers to donate to Syria-based extremists via Bitcoin. His support of ISIS wasn't just a matter of public record; it was generating a Klout score. Amin, who is all of 17 years of age, has since been arrested and is now facing 11 years behind bars for his efforts.
"[Those] who use social media as a tool to [support] ISIL (ISIS) will be identified and prosecuted with no less vigilance than those who travel to take up arms with ISIL," said the US Department of Justice regarding the case. Now repentant, the erstwhile cryptocurrency enthusiast faces a lifetime of supervised Internet use after his time has been served.
What isn't clear is whether any Bitcoin was ever actually collected by the blogger and subsequently turned over to ISIS. It seems useful to consider this, since the blog entry puts forth a financial strategy that could be quite damaging if put in to widescale practice. But based on the DOJ's summary ruling, this line of questioning is probably beside the point.
http://www.rappler.com/technology/features/114676-bitcoin-terrorism-feature
