South African authorities arrest man suspected of using Bitcoin to fund terrorism

South African law enforcement agencies recently arrested a 35-year-old man who allegedly used cryptocurrency to finance terrorist activities. According to the Hawks, the man was tracked down by them at a house in Johannesburg for suspected violations of the Constitutional Protection of Democracy and Related Activities Act. A spokesperson for the law enforcement agency revealed that the Hawks launched an investigation into the man after receiving information about terrorist activities. "The investigation began in May 2018 when the Financial Intelligence Center (FIC) and the Hawks received information about suspicious transactions suspected of terrorist financing. It is alleged that on November 30, 2017, the suspect purchased $614 (ZAR11,500) worth of Bitcoin from his bank account to Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) Luno through a wire transfer. The Bitcoin was then transferred to a wallet associated with an unnamed "independent" organization. South African law enforcement agencies said that their preliminary investigation showed that the funds were used to support weapons, financial assistance and other projects for "participants" in other countries. The man is expected to appear in the Lichtenburg Magistrate's Court on January 6. (Bitcoin.com)