A 16-year-old East London boy accused of procuring cryptocurrencies and providing cyber expertise to al-Qaeda has been granted bail with limited digital access and can only use his PlayStation offline It became.
Prosecutors say the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, tried to collect about $1,300 in virtual currency for extremist groups including al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban, the Standard reported Wednesday. claims.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the teenager pleaded not guilty to five charges, including raising funds for terrorism, providing training and possessing documents of a nature useful for terrorism-related purposes.
Bail conditions require the boy to abide by a curfew, avoid social media and limit his laptop use to educational purposes only.
However, the use of PlayStation consoles remains restricted due to conditions that prohibit online multiplayer and interactive gaming platforms.
The case against the boy is scheduled to be heard at the Old Bailey, Britain’s central criminal court, on November 2.
Although the use of cryptocurrencies by terrorist organizations accounts for a relatively small portion of illicit transactions within the industry, it remains a significant concern for regulators around the world.
According to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, criminal activity involving cryptocurrencies ranges from money laundering and ransomware to fraud, but terrorism-related transactions make up a small portion of these activities.
Still, the transparency of blockchain technology allows law enforcement to track and trace illegal activity more effectively than traditional financial channels, as all transactions are recorded on a public ledger.
The former CIA director said that transparency helps authorities monitor financial flows and identify suspicious patterns, making it easier to disrupt criminal networks using digital assets.
Last year, Israel seized around 40 cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.
This was the “first incident of this scale” carried out by Israel at the time.
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