Cryptocurrency sent to Islamic State group by Luton man

A man has been jailed for sending more than £16,000 worth of cryptocurrency to an Islamic State (IS) group.

Amin Rahman, 24, from Luton, had admitted funding the Afghanistan-based IS franchise ISKP – Islamic State Khorasan Province – between last December and February.

The married father-of-one was jailed at the Old Bailey for three years and two months, with a further year on extended licence.

Judge Nigel Lickley KC noted the defendant’s remorse but said his donations went towards “activities endangering life”.

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The court heard how ISKP had focused on orchestrating “sporadic high impact attacks” in Europe, the United States and central Asia.

Its propaganda arm advocated the use of cryptocurrency to make donations.

The police investigation uncovered Rahman’s use of the encrypted Telegram app to seek out ISKP contacts and offer support, the court heard.

He told one user: “I want to donate in the pathway of Allah… And then we engage in the killing, by grace of Allah.”

He told another user that he “yearns for martyrdom”.

Rahman, who had a computer science qualification, was arrested on 13 March and his electronic devices were seized during a search of his home.

He was found to have used the cryptocurrency Monero app to make payments to ISKP totalling $20,789 (£16,563) between December 2023 and February 2024, the court was told.

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The defendant initially denied wrongdoing at a plea hearing on 12 July.

On 25 July however, he admitted five terrorism offences – four of fundraising and one of entering into or becoming concerned in arrangements to make money or other property available to another.

At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Rebecca Fairbairn said the defendant made “frank admissions” that he had “no idea” what his money was going to fund.

But she added that he was “very keen his funding was to be used for those that had been martyred or their families”.

The defendant, who had no previous convictions, was said in testimonials to be “exceptionally bright”, honest and “trustworthy”, the court was told.

Mitigating, his barrister John Lyons said: “This is a man who has got real prospects of leading a productive life. He is capable and competent.

“There is no evidence of him being part of a radicalised group in the UK.”