Australian jihadists using gift cards to fund Syria terror

Australian jihadists are using gift cards to fund terrorist attacks in the Middle East.

Travel and retail gift cards that can be loaded with up to $100,000 in Australia are being spent in countries that border war-torn Syria.

Federal intelligence agency AUSTRAC has identified 12 cases of stored card values being used to finance terrorism, the Herald Sun reports

They are releasing a report on Tuesday showing that funds were spent in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, in situations where $170,000 was loaded on to the cards.

Islamist terrorists and organised crime syndicates are using cards that can be bought at Australia Post, banks, retailers and credit unions and stored with cash via online transactions.

AUSTRAC has also cited another 66 dubious money transfers in nations that are recognised as transit areas for terrorist activity.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said stored cards were being used by terrorists worldwide, including in France to fund the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015.

In Australia, foreign fighters have used stored value cards to fund their terrorist activity before and after departure to the conflict zone,’ Mr Keenan said.

The AUSTRAC report cited the discovery of a prepaid card in a rented flat used by the terrorists to hire the cars used in the Paris attacks, in which 130 people were killed.

The report said $2.2 billion worth of funds from Australian gift cards were spent in foreign countries in the year to the end of August 2016.

Source: Australian jihadists using gift cards to fund Syria terror | Daily Mail Online