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

article-image

Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capitol; Source: Ronan Shenhav/Shutterstock, modified by Blockworks

share

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.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

recent research

Unlocked Advisory-min.png

Research

This report distills Blockworks Advisory’s research on incentive programs and their analysis, offering a foundation for designing future initiatives and advancing industry-wide standards. By highlighting key lessons and methodologies, we aim to empower protocols to make informed, data-driven decisions.

article-image

Programmable yield, seamless swaps and decentralized control are the hallmarks of a new stablecoin model

article-image

Crypto is “really exciting,” former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins said in a podcast interview last year

article-image

Bitcoin is now the “seventh most valuable asset in the world by market cap, just behind the likes of Google and Amazon,” GSR’s Brian Rudick said

article-image

Many analysts expected bitcoin to top $100K before year-end, though it’s been on a post-election tear

article-image

Will investors take a 10% lower return to get access to a regulated investment wrapper?

article-image

Brian Armstrong called out the hire of Gurbir Grewal, who had been the SEC’s enforcement division director since 2021