Four Uzbek citizens in South Korea have been accused of financing terrorism
Four citizens of Uzbekistan residing in South Korea are accused of violating the law on countering the financing of terrorism. They are charged with sending money and vehicles to a terrorist group in Syria. According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, from August 2024 to April 2025, one of the Uzbeks transferred cryptocurrency worth 6.3 million won ($4,600) seven times to the group "Katiba [...]
Four Uzbek citizens in South Korea accused of financing terrorism
Four citizens of Uzbekistan residing in South Korea have been charged with violating the law on countering the financing of terrorism. They are suspected of sending money and vehicles to a terrorist group in Syria.
According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, between August 2024 and April 2025, one of the Uzbek nationals transferred cryptocurrency worth 6.3 million won ($4,600) seven times to the group "Katiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad" (KTJ), which is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the UN.
The 29-year-old man is also suspected of receiving cryptocurrency from KTJ. He used these funds to purchase 11 used cars and two excavators in South Korea, worth a total of 170 million won, and subsequently shipped them to Syria.
Police believe the excavators and vehicles were used to set up bases and support KTJ's operations in Syria.
KTJ is an armed group linked to Al-Qaeda, consisting mainly of Uzbeks and Kyrgyz. In 2022, the UN designated it as a terrorist organization.
Investigators believe that while the suspect was not an official member of KTJ, he began assisting the group under the influence of his younger brother, who is a member of the organization.
The man was detained in April, a month after Interpol issued a Red Notice for him. He was later charged and remanded in custody.
The investigation established that the man arrived in South Korea in August 2017 on a D-2 student visa, graduated from a university in Daejeon, and remained in the country illegally after his visa expired in January 2023, living in Daejeon and working as a day laborer on construction sites.
Three other Uzbek citizens are accused of aiding the main suspect, specifically in sourcing the used vehicles. They are under investigation but remain at liberty.
The case of the main suspect is already before the court. The verdict is scheduled to be announced on September 3, with the prosecution demanding an eight-year prison sentence.