Looted Libyan Artifacts Recovered in Spain, Two Arrested
posted by Christopher Holton Ancient objects looted from areas controlled by the Islamic State group in Libya have been recovered by police in Spain. Two experts in ancient art – both aged 31 – have been arrested in Barcelona. They are suspected of being part of an international ring that bought the artefacts from groups […]
posted by Christopher W. Holton Income for the Islamic State has dropped by 80-percent over two years. According to a study of its finances, an extended air campaign, and loss of territory, hit the oil and tax revenue streams for the militant group. The self-proclaimed caliphate earned an average of $81 million in the second […]
This is a scenario that we have seen play out previously. In some cases Islamic State Jihadists have destroyed antiquities of various types to symbolize their Salafist agenda. But in other cases they have surreptitiously absconded with such valuable artifacts and fenced them through legitimate dealers to raise money for Jihad… The FBI on Wednesday […]
A museum can be worth as much as an oil field, provided there is someone willing to buy looted and smuggled art. The world of antiquities looting has crossed into the realm of terrorism—the ancient pot you buy on eBay, or at a prestigious auction house, might be funding jihadists. The union of art and […]
First made infamous by Hezbollah’s fundraising activities in North Carolina and Michigan here in the US, bootleg cigarettes are now being used around the world to fund Jihad… The United Nations Security Council’s investigative body has found that millions of pounds in illicit tobacco revenues are reaching al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist organisations. http://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-news/2015/03/13/express-star-investigates-how-bootleg-cigarettes-help-fund-terrorism/ […]
Given Hezbollah’s involvement in bootleg cigarette operations in the late 1990s in North Carolina and Michigan, this raises some interesting questions… A Pawtucket accountant has pleaded guilty of conspiring to bring $1.2 million worth of contraband cigarettes to Rhode Island from Virginia, where the cigarette tax is low. Bassam Kiriaki, 46, also admitted conspiring to […]
Bootleg cigarettes linked to terrorism
Law enforcement and intelligence officials have long known that counterfeit and bootleg cigarettes have been used to fund terrorism. The excellent book “Lightning Out of Lebanon,” detailed just such a case in which a cigarette bootlegging ring in North Carolina and Michigan was churning out funds for Hezbollah. Evidently these activities are not limited to […]
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