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Millions for IS! Trial of Chechen fundraisers in Vienna
In Vienna Donaustadt, Yusup M. is accused of having collected and managed large sums of money for the Islamic State.
Millions for IS! Trial of Chechen fundraisers in Vienna
A court date in Vienna could have far-reaching consequences: Yusup M., a 33-year-old Chechen, is on trial in the Austrian capital after being in custody for a year. If everything goes according to plan, the negotiation, which began in July, will continue on Wednesday. M. is described as the leader of the Jamaat group, which is said to have collected and managed enormous sums for the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS) over the years. According to the investigation, the organization is said to have transferred funds that benefited Chechen members of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, particularly to support women and children in prison camps. This is reported by the The press.
The serious indictment accuses him of having not only spread appeals for donations via social media, especially Telegram, under the name “Abu Ashab” from 2018 to 2024. M. is said to have played a central role in financing and coordinating the group. This had chat groups in which around 73 million US dollars were collected. According to the public prosecutor's office, a significant portion of these funds were used for terrorist purposes. In recent years, the financing of terrorism-related activities in the European Union has emerged as a complex problem, posing major challenges to the authorities, such as Deputy Sheriff explained.
Operation Jamaat
The Jamaat group, which M. founded in 2022 together with accomplices from Germany, Belgium and Turkey, aimed primarily at ransoming women and children from Syrian prison camps. Among other things, a young Viennese woman who traveled to Syria in 2014 was to be ransomed with $7,000. The indictment is based on the assumption that M., as the organization's “chief financial officer,” was able to activate our European networks for fundraising.
Payments were initially transported to the war zone via Türkiye in cash, but were later also processed via crypto wallets, which made tracking the flow of money more difficult. This is a trend that many security experts are now observing in terrorist activities in Europe. The evidence against M. seems to be increasing and he is also linked to an IS member living in Syria who supported him regarding the use of funds. Despite these incriminating measures, M. denies the allegations and claims that his activities are purely charitable, as stated in a report Vienna.at held.
Similar cases and the international dimension
The scale of the allegations, particularly the amount of money collected, highlights the long-term problem of terrorist financing. The Jamaat group is accused not only of providing funds to IS members, but also of financing weapons to support the fighters. Given the international structures of these groups, the investigations and their results are of crucial importance for security in Europe.
If the allegations turn out to be true, M. could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years. The issue continues to develop beyond national borders, making it clear how important preventive measures are in the fight against terrorism and extremist networks.