Binance, TRM Labs provided key intel in ISIS members’ arrest
The joint investigation with Tajikistan authorities resulted in the arrest of individuals connected to a regional ISIS affiliate

Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capitol; Source: Ronan Shenhav/Shutterstock, modified by Blockworks
Binance said its investigative team aided in capturing ISIS-linked individuals in Tajikistan and Turkey.
The crypto exchange said it played a role in the arrest of several individuals linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IKSP), an affiliate of the broader militant group, including ranking member Shamil Hukumatov.
“These ISKP members were actively involved in imminent attack planning, and their arrests are regarded as a huge win for counterterrorism efforts both regionally and globally,” Binance said in a blog on Friday.
Since Dec. 2022, Tajikistan’s Financial Monitoring Department and TRM Labs collaborated with the exchange to mitigate risks from the IKSP, the blog said.
Additional agencies from Tajikistan, like the State Committee for National Security, also participated in the operation.
Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial crime at Binance, told Fortune that the probe entailed scrutinizing a Telegram channel frequented by ISIS affiliates and subsequently identifying the cryptocurrency wallet a terrorist leader used for receiving donations.
A Binance spokesperson told Blockworks that the company’s investigations team members perform routine open-source threat intelligence scans.
“It was during these routine scans that this particular Telegram group was identified,” they added.
Nonetheless, specifics about how Binance managed to locate the individual were not disclosed.
A spokesperson for the Financial Monitoring Department said that intelligence and investigative assistance from Binance was instrumental in advancing its counterterrorism efforts.
“This led to successful arrests of key ISKP members that we’ve been targeting for a while now,” the spokesperson added.
The move highlights Binance’s involvement in collaborating with law enforcement to track down crypto assets related to organized crime.
Markus Thielen, Matrixport’s research chief, noted that Binance has cooperated with law enforcement on multiple occasions to halt illicit activities and identify the individuals responsible for such transactions.
He expects illicit activities to shift to mixers and decentralized exchanges.
“The result will likely be that more of those illicit activities will move to mixers, such as Tornado Cash, and other decentralized exchanges,” he told Blockworks.
Tornado Cash was sanctioned by the US Treasury last year, meaning that US residents are prohibited from dealing with the crypto mixer.
Binance has previously faced allegations of circumventing legal frameworks, including claims that it bypassed US sanctions to permit trading for customers in Iran and Russia. Additionally, reports suggested the exchange enabled users in China to evade local regulatory barriers.
Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:
- Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
- Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
- Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
- 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
- Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
- The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
- Supply Shock: Tracking Bitcoin’s rise from internet plaything worth less than a penny to global phenomenon disrupting money as we know it.