Millions in Aid for ISIS: 33-Year-Old Partially Confesses at Trial Opening in Vienna

He is "partially guilty," admitted a 33-year-old Chechen at the Vienna Regional Court on Tuesday, who is said to have collected donations in the high double-digit million euro range for the purposes of the radical terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS). According to the indictment, the money was used to support fighters active or imprisoned in Syria and Iraq, as well as their relatives, or to ransom interned IS supporters. The trial will continue on September 3.

The 33-year-old, who has been in Austria since 2015 and, according to his own statements, worked as a supplier until his arrest on July 25, 2024, is said to have initially acted as an individual as an eager fundraiser for IS since 2018. In 2022, he joined a group called "Jamaat," which included Chechen men in Belgium, Germany, and Turkey alongside him. Under the pseudonym Abu Ashab, the 33-year-old is said to have collected "horrendous sums" in a leading role with increasingly professional online appearances, according to the indictment.

Defendant According to Prosecutor Financial Head of IS Donation Collection Point

There were several donation channels, with a total of 73.5 million US dollars (62.77 million euros) being funneled into the coffers through a single one, according to the indictment. Several hundred thousand US dollars were collected through a second channel. The defendant himself is said to have transferred another two to three million alone, the prosecutor stated at the beginning of the trial. He described the defendant as the financial head of the group, whose system "worked perfectly, as one unfortunately has to say. We have immense dimensions here that are not found elsewhere in Europe."

He transferred 300,000 to 400,000 US dollars, "that is correct according to my calculations," the defendant said about the extent of the donation transfers. What "the others" raised "for other projects, I cannot say." The 73.5 million US dollars mentioned in the indictment would "not be correct at all. With that much money, you could ransom the entire camp." The 33-year-old suspected that "a technical error" might underlie the calculations of the prosecution.

"I Overstepped the Mark"

In response to a chat in which he bragged about having collected three to four million US dollars all by himself, the 33-year-old said he had "exaggerated" and wanted to present himself as a "super helper": "I overstepped the mark. It wasn't that much."

In the "Jamaat," he claimed to be "in the last or second to last place internally due to my age and experience." He had to follow instructions. Not opposing the financing of weapons was "a mistake." He fundamentally only wanted to provide humanitarian aid: "I have a sick child myself. I cannot ignore that."

"We were a charity fund," the 33-year-old stated. And further: "We focused on widows and orphans." Originally, it was about women of IS fighters interned in camps in Syria and Iraq and their children: "But the others then had other ideas." He participated in votes within the group that supported the aid of IS fighters: "I had to participate. I had recently joined, I didn't know what to do."

Prosecutor Identified "Very High Danger for Europe"

"We are talking about a very, very high danger for Europe," emphasized the prosecutor, stressing the financial influence of the group. The cross-border organization had conducted "targeted IS support" and financed weapons worth tens of thousands of euros for so-called foreign fighters - Chechens fighting in Syria. In the "vicinity" of "Jamaat," "explosives were found," the prosecutor further explained. One of the members, who is in custody in Belgium, had wanted to purchase components of triacetone triperoxide (TATP) - the relatively easy-to-make, highly explosive substance has been repeatedly used for terrorist-motivated bombings recently.

The prosecutor reaffirmed the dominant role of the accused. The 33-year-old is said to have been very committed to Magomed I., alias Abu Ali, who fought in Syria and rose to the rank of IS commander. He was considered so dangerous that even American and British special forces actively searched for him, using drones. A bounty was even offered for information leading to his capture. "In the summer of 2024, he was probably liquidated," the prosecutor said about Abu Ali.

60,000 US Dollars for Chechen IS Commander

The accused was "super connected" and "very familiar" with Abu Ali, the prosecutor noted: "This cements the high position of the accused." The 33-year-old had assured Abu Ali of the financial support for his family in the event of his death and had provided him with financial resources amounting to at least 60,000 US dollars (51,300 euros) as recently as 2024.

"He wrote to me and said his family is in Turkey and needs help with housing," the accused said. Abu Ali was "the only Chechen on site" (meaning: in Syria, note): "He was a simple IS fighter. He suspected that he would soon die and asked me to help him."

"Send them money for about 3 rifles/weapons"

According to the indictment, the 33-year-old also supported other IS fighters of Chechen descent. "Send them money for about 3 rifles/weapons," was one of the brief instructions from the 33-year-old. A conversation partner had previously boasted via chat that soon "black flags (meaning: those of IS, note) would fly over Istanbul."

"Originally, he wanted money for food," the accused said when the mentioned chat was presented to him. It was a "misunderstanding."

7,000 US Dollars for the Release of Young Viennese Woman

One of the so-called projects operated by "Jamaat" was the release of a young Viennese woman who had traveled to Syria via Istanbul in 2014 at the age of 19, joined IS there, and was interned in the al-Haul (al-Hol) camp after the military defeat of IS. To secure her release in the summer of 2022, 7,000 US dollars (5,985 euros) were raised.

Defense attorney Florian Kreiner repeatedly emphasized that the accused was concerned with providing assistance to women and their children detained in the Syrian-Kurdish IS prisoner camps al-Haul and Roj. In the tent cities, "catastrophic conditions" and "horrible conditions" prevailed. "He wanted to buy them out if possible and, where that was not possible, support them," Kreiner said. The collected money was used for the purchase of sheep and medicines for the care of the prisoners and for their medical treatment.

In this context, his client "did not sufficiently distance himself from the objectives of IS," Kreiner admitted. In this respect, he was guilty of being part of the terrorist organization and the criminal organization. However, the 33-year-old was "not a leader, not a decision-maker": "He received requests from camps about what was needed. He forwarded these requests and participated in the financing." That IS purposes were indirectly supported in the process was probably a logical consequence, "but ideologically he is far from it," Kreiner emphasized.

Payments Processed via Crypto Wallets

The prosecutor saw it differently. From his perspective, the 33-year-old was solely responsible for financial management. Once the group agreed on a specific project - such as the ransom of an imprisoned IS fighter - the required sum was initially regularly transported via cash through Turkey to Syria or Iraq. Later, they used cryptocurrencies and processed the payment flows through crypto wallets.

Funds were collected across countries, with the established donation channels, marked with their own logo, regularly reporting on the arrival of funds to the recipients. Image material from IS detention camps was deliberately used manipulatively, as outlined in the indictment: "Particularly insidious and perfidious was the approach of deliberately using children (without their mothers) in the published photos to make them appear as pitiable as possible, to make the group's motives appear as humanitarian as possible, and accordingly to deliberately deceive potential donors and ultimately generate the highest possible number of donors."

"Brother, only photos of children without mothers are taken"

The accused is primarily incriminated by chats that were secured, read, and evaluated by law enforcement agencies. "Brother, only photos of children without mothers are taken, and that's because we want overlaps and double donations. No tents! Only photos with children and money (bills)!" he gave specific instructions on the design of photos from camps with interned IS supporters and their children.

The 33-year-old maintained numerous contacts with IS supporters, primarily of Chechen descent, over the years. "These like-minded individuals were not only spread across the entire Austrian federal territory but also resided in several European countries as well as in Turkey," the prosecutor emphasized the international networking of the group. According to intelligence findings, the leading "Jamaat" members also met personally, for example, in mid-August 2022 at the Pöhl Dam in the German state of Saxony. The accused also met with other IS members in Turkey.

Up to 15 Years Imprisonment Threatened if Convicted

The trial took place under heightened security measures. Numerous masked and heavily armed members of the Justice Guard task force and police officers were stationed in and especially in front of the courtroom. In the courtroom itself, there was an absolute ban on photography and filming. In the event of a conviction in accordance with the indictment, the 33-year-old faces a prison sentence of between five and 15 years.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.