Terror Groups Using Crypto, 3D Printing to Avoid Sanctions, UN Hears
The U.N. Security Council should urge member states to bolster their sanctions enforcement against terrorist financing, a U.N. body said in a recent report, warning that terrorist groups are increasingly using cryptocurrencies and 3D printing to either evade restrictions or make their own weapons.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The report, written by the council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, called for better implementation of sanctions against people and entities tied to the Islamic State group, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. It said those groups “have continued to demonstrate resilience and adaptability in the face of counter-terrorist pressure” and are turning more to “anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrencies” to buy sensitive items.
The monitoring team said the Security Council should encourage member states “to share any relevant information on digital wallet addresses associated with listed entities.” It also said the council should study whether it should include details in its sanctions lists about the specific cryptocurrencies or crypto wallet addresses linked to certain terrorist groups.
The report also warned that terror groups are exploiting 3D printing tools to develop drones and other weapons. One U.N. Security Council member reported that the terror group Al-Shabaab is specifically experimenting with 3D printing to make parts used in commercial unmanned aerial systems, the monitoring team said. The report warned that “computer code written in a secure environment could be disseminated to terrorists in the field, enabling them to print components for attack devices such as improvised explosive devices or weaponised unmanned aerial systems, potentially evading” U.N. arms restrictions.
“Exploitation of these technologies potentially enables evasion of restrictions imposed under the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions regime,” the report said.