By crypto.news | Created at 2026-09-03 06:57:08 | Updated at 2026-09-03 07:51:12
1 hour ago
The U.S. Department of Justice said on Sept. 1 that federal investigators had seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency allegedly intended for Hamas. The FBI also took control of domains and servers that authorities said supported fundraising and recruitment.
Summary
- DOJ said three warrants seized more than $560,000 in cryptocurrency allegedly intended for Hamas fundraising.
- FBI agents also seized domains and servers used by Al Qassam fundraising platforms online globally.
- Court records describe rotating cryptocurrency addresses distributed through encrypted group chats and websites to donors.
- The first 2025 seizure recovered approximately $201,400 from wallets and exchange accounts investigators identified earlier.
- Authorities obtained information concerning thousands of people who contacted Hamas linked platforms about donating funds.
The enforcement actions were authorized through five warrants issued between March 2025 and August 2026. Three covered cryptocurrency seizures, while two concerned online infrastructure allegedly controlled by the Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing.
Hamas is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. The latest announcement describes allegations contained in warrant affidavits. It does not represent a criminal conviction against the people who controlled the addresses, accounts or servers.
Three warrants targeted Hamas crypto fundraising
The cryptocurrency seizures were authorized through warrants dated March 25, 2025, June 25, 2025 and Oct. 10, 2025. Together, the actions recovered more than $560,000, according to the DOJ.
Investigators said human sources helped identify a fundraising system that distributed rotating cryptocurrency addresses through an encrypted group chat and website. Donors were reportedly instructed to send funds to different addresses, making the collection network harder to follow.
The first publicly announced stage of the investigation recovered approximately $201,400 from cryptocurrency wallets and exchange accounts. Authorities said those assets were connected to a network that had moved more than $1.5 million since October 2024.
The initial recovery was covered by crypto.news reporting on the $201,400 Hamas-linked cryptocurrency seizure. The latest DOJ announcement shows that subsequent warrants increased the total seized amount beyond $560,000.
The affidavits do not establish that every transaction through the identified system directly funded an attack. They outline the evidence investigators presented to obtain judicial permission to seize the assets.
FBI took control of fundraising domains and servers
The FBI later expanded the operation from cryptocurrency to internet infrastructure. Warrants dated July 29, 2026 and Aug. 18, 2026 authorized the seizure of domains and servers allegedly used for fundraising and recruitment.
The targeted infrastructure included Alqassam.ps, which the DOJ described as the Al Qassam Brigades’ main website. Taking control of the domains and servers allowed investigators to interrupt access and receive information sent through the seized infrastructure.
The DOJ said the operation enabled the FBI to intercept additional cryptocurrency donations allegedly intended for Hamas. Authorities also obtained information about thousands of people who contacted the platforms to donate or attempt to donate through cryptocurrency and conventional payment methods.
That claim comes from the government’s announcement. The DOJ did not disclose how many contacts completed payments, how many were based in the U.S. or whether any donors had been charged.
The operation was led by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office in coordination with its Counterterrorism Division, Cyber Division and New York Field Office. Prosecutors from the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are handling the case.
Public blockchains helped investigators trace payments
Cryptocurrency addresses can be changed frequently, but transfers conducted on public blockchains normally leave permanent transaction records. Investigators can connect those transfers with exchange accounts, known services and other addresses when additional evidence is available.
The DOJ said its investigation combined blockchain tracing with information from human sources. A Chainalysis review of the initial seizure said authorities followed transfers through exchanges, brokers and operational wallets before obtaining control of the targeted funds.
Rotating addresses may make attribution more difficult, but they do not remove transaction histories from a public blockchain. Funds can also become identifiable when users interact with regulated exchanges that collect customer information.
Similar enforcement actions have involved stablecoin issuers freezing tokens linked to sanctioned or suspected illicit networks. Tether helped U.S. authorities freeze $1.6 million connected to an alleged terrorism-financing network.
Those cases do not establish that cryptocurrency accounts for a large share of terrorism financing. They demonstrate that blockchain records, exchange information and issuer controls can help authorities identify and restrict certain transactions.
Seizure does not automatically complete forfeiture
A court-authorized seizure allows law enforcement to take control of specified assets during an investigation. Final forfeiture is a separate legal process that determines whether the government may retain those assets permanently.
The latest DOJ release does not identify newly charged defendants or describe a completed forfeiture judgment covering the full $560,000. It also does not provide a breakdown of the amounts recovered under each of the three cryptocurrency warrants.
No public announcement explains which cryptocurrencies made up the complete seized balance. The March 2025 action involved several wallets and exchange accounts, but the later affidavit materials are necessary to determine how the total expanded.
The investigation remains active. Information obtained from the seized domains, servers and fundraising contacts may support further inquiries, sanctions actions, forfeiture proceedings or criminal cases. The DOJ has not announced a timetable for those possible steps.
Future filings could provide more information about the digital assets, services and jurisdictions involved. Unless prosecutors bring charges or file forfeiture complaints, some evidence may remain sealed to protect investigative methods and cooperating sources.
The latest verified position is that federal courts authorized five related seizure actions. The DOJ says those actions recovered more than $560,000 and disrupted online infrastructure allegedly used by Hamas. The assertions about ownership, purpose and control remain government allegations unless tested in later proceedings.
