How FBI turned Hamas’ crypto fundraising pipeline into a law-enforcement trap
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized Hamas-linked fundraising infrastructure and used it to intercept cryptocurrency donations meant for the group.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department said the operation adopted earlier court-authorized seizures that traced and recovered greater than $560,000 in digital assets tied to Hamas fundraising.
Those seizures got here by warrants issued in March, June and October 2025 after investigators adopted rotating donation addresses distributed by encrypted chats and fundraising web sites.
The June warrant confirmed how that course of labored. Tether was ordered to burn focused USDT and reissue an equal quantity to a US law-enforcement-controlled handle, whereas Binance was directed to switch specified account balances into FBI-controlled wallets.
That strategy allowed investigators to get better crypto after figuring out the place it had moved.
Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office mentioned:
“Reducing the capabilities of overseas terrorist group’s means to obtain donations and creating mistrust in communications to their donors was the first focus of this newest operation. This continued success demonstrates the unwavering dedication and willpower of the FBI in preventing terrorism.”
FBI moved from tracing funds to intercepting them
Investigators focused domains and servers linked to AlQassam.ps, a web site the DOJ tied to the Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ navy wing.
Affidavits filed in July and August mentioned authenticated responses from fund@alqassam.ps have been routed by host.alaqsaflood.org, serving to investigators join fundraising communications to associated infrastructure.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office then labored with human sources to determine and seize domains and servers related to the operation.
Control of that infrastructure modified the scope of the investigation. DOJ mentioned brokers have been capable of intercept crypto donations intended for Hamas and acquire further details about folks trying to contribute.
That turned the case from a retrospective tracing effort into an energetic disruption operation.
DOJ mentioned the broader investigation produced details about 1000’s of people that contacted Hamas on-line searching for to donate by cryptocurrency or conventional cost strategies. The division didn’t specify how a lot of that data got here immediately from the seized servers.
The disclosure additionally doesn’t set up that each individual recognized accomplished a donation or dedicated an offense.
However, this reveals how a number of enforcement instruments converged: blockchain tracing recognized the cash, court docket orders moved belongings by centralized crypto suppliers, and infrastructure seizures gave investigators management over the fundraising channels themselves.
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