posted by Christopher W. Holton There are indications that the British government may have been involved in a ransom payment to the Iranian government for the release of a British-Iranian dual citizen being held in by Iran. Before we get too indignant about this alleged revelation, we should remember that it wasn’t terribly long ago […]
posted by Christopher W. Holton There can be no doubt: Obama looked the American people in the eye and lied… The $400 million in cash which was sent to Iran under cover of night on a secret flight was conditioned on releasing some of the hostages and the plane with the cash – a Revolutionary […]
posted by Christopher W. Holton Islamic State-linked group wants $5.6 million paid by Aug. 15 for 7 Indonesians it kidnapped June 20. The Abu Sayyaf militant group is holding seven Indonesians it kidnapped June 20 in the Southern Philippines jungles of Sulu, for which it has reportedly asked a ransom of 250 million pesos ($5.6 […]
posted by Christopher W. Holton By now, everyone knows that the Obama administration sent the Islamic Republic of Iran $400 million in cash in a transaction that coincided with the release of American hostages. Obama has sent his spin machine into high gear to deny that this was a ransom payment, even though that is […]
Italy’s intelligence service helped concoct a false story about a rescue of hostages by security forces to hide a ransom payment, according to a leaked spy agency document. Al Qaeda got $525,000 in this scam…Note also that this article ties Somali piracy to Jihad, something we and others have maintained for some time, but which […]
By Christopher W. Holton The Islamic State is back at their “fundraising” efforts, which always seem to involve some form of monstrously illegal activity. Whether it’s black market oil sold through our “allies” in Turkey or black market antiquities sold to unscrupulous art dealers in the West…or simple ransom…the Islamic State has a great need […]
After switching off her handphone for months, the wife of an Abu Sayyaf hostage switched it on again only to receive a chilling call from the gunmen – they are threatening to behead him. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/08/25/Threats-to-behead-hostages/
The British parliament has enacted a new law that penalizes insurance companies that make ransom payments to terrorists. Ransom payments are just one way that Jihadists have raised money in recent years. No country is immune as there are reports that such payments have been made from the U.S. as well… More details from Money […]
Is the Islamic State Funded by Ransoms?
With the recent abortive demand by Islamic State Jihadists for $200 million in return for releasing two Japanese hostages, some observers have speculated that the funding for the organization may be drying up. But as the article below from The Telegraph maintains, that is unlikely. It’s much more likely that the Islamic State never expected […]
Islamic State Paying Guides to Abduct Reporters
Some local “guides” who offer to act as mediators, helping foreign journalists gather information in areas controlled by the Islamic State, actually help the militant group abduct them. http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/local-guides-endanger-journalists-as-islamic-state-pays-to-abduct-reporters-1.325779
The Pentagon is under fire for making a ransom payment to an Afghan earlier this year as part of a failed bid to win the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/19/inside-the-ring-ransom-paid-for-bergdahl/
Ransom Paid to Abu Sayyaf for Release of Two German Hostages
A German couple, a 72-year-old doctor and his 55-year-old partner, were taken hostage last April while sailing between the Philippines and Malaysia, and held hostage on the island of Jolo. Their captors, from the Jihadist terror group Abu Sayyaf, have reportedly claimed that a ransom was paid. They had demanded more than four million euros. German Hostages […]
Jihadist Finance: Ransoms from West Fund Al Qaeda
The New York Times has a new story out detailing the windfall to Al Qaeda from ransoms paid by the West… Kidnapping Europeans for ransom has become a global business for Al Qaeda, bankrolling its operations across the globe. While European governments deny paying ransoms, an investigation by The New York Times found that Al Qaeda […]
If true, this indicates that the Bergdahl deal didn’t just replenish Taliban leadership, it also replenished their coffers. North said he knew there was at least a $1 million dollar ransom being demanded for Bergdahl some time ago so he estimated the price paid to release the hostage must be close to $5-6 million now. “Someone […]
A $4 million ransom was reportedly paid to the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front for the release of 13 Greek Orthodox nuns that were held hostage by the Jihadist group for four months. They hostages were released in a deal between the Syrian Assad regime and Jihadists of the Al Nusra Front, brokered by Qatar, a […]
Al Qaeda In Islamic Maghreb Incorporated
Forbes has just published an article about the successful funding mechanisms used by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which include kidnapping for ransom and money laundering alliances with drug traffickers. As we have detailed from time to time on SFW, western nations, particular European nations and Canada, have been in the habit of paying […]
Four Frenchmen held captive for three years by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Niger were reunited with their families yesterday , amid reports that a ransom of at least €20 million ($28 million) had been paid for their release. The four men were kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in northern Niger in […]
Latest official documents show that over Rs650 million (just over $10 million) have been paid to the Taliban by Pakistani businessmen during the last 18 months alone. The billions of rupees paid have not been reported to the police and agencies, and the businessmen have dealt secretly with the Taliban to save their lives. Documents […]
An Australian man who was taken hostage by the Jihadist terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf was released when his family paid a $94,000 ransom to the group. Reportedly, the original ransom demand was for $2 million. Ransoms are a popular means by which Jihadists raise money around the world. http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20130616023823
It is often said that money is the lifeblood of Jihad and evidently Al Qaeda is watching its money closely, because they basically fired one of their key North African leaders over housekeeping paperwork…That particularly Jihadi was also disenchanted with hostage-taking-for-ransom operations as well… In one 10-page letter, al-Qaida leadership scolded an ambitious terrorist, the […]
Canada Paid $1.1 Million Ransom to Al Qaeda
An Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group was paid $1.1-million for the release of two captured Canadian diplomats four years ago. It is not known who paid the ransom or how it was paid. The Canadian government has said it does not pay ransoms, but has never stated clearly that no other country paid for the diplomats’ release […]
The Latest Fallout from Europe’s Ransom Payments to Al Qaeda
Readers may recall the post we published on 10 February regarding the millions of dollars reportedly paid to Al Qaeda by European nations in the form of ransoms to win the release of hostages: https://shariahfinancewatch.org/2013/02/10/former-us-diplomat-europeans-canada-paid-89-million-ransom-to-al-qaeda/ Now we have the latest tragic example of the fallout from those misguided policies. Al Qaeda has released a video […]
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