South Korean Police Arrest Four Over Crypto Payments to Syrian Terror Group

South Korean authorities have arrested four Uzbek nationals in Gwangju for allegedly using cryptocurrency to finance a designated terrorist organization operating in Syria.

The suspects, all in their 30s, allegedly transferred approximately $4,600 worth of USDT to Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (KTJ) across seven separate transactions between August 2025 and April 2026.

KTJ is an al-Qaeda-affiliated group designated as a terrorist organization by both the United Nations and the United States since 2022.

The crypto payments were only part of the alleged scheme, with the suspect also receiving over $140,000 worth of digital assets from KTJ to purchase used cars and excavators valued at nearly $170 million.