The activities of a group of individuals involved in financing terrorism have been stopped in Uzbekistan, according to the State Security Service (SSS).
According to the agency, the operation was carried out jointly by the SSS and the internal affairs authorities. As a result, eight citizens living in Tashkent, as well as the Samarkand, Bukhara, Andijan and Fergana regions, were identified.
The SSS stated that the individuals, born between 1987 and 1998, had been influenced by a media blogger affiliated with the Syria-based terrorist organization “G‘uroba Katibasi” and transferred money to bank accounts under his control. The individual in question was identified as Kyrgyz citizen Abdulmuhsin Usmonov, born in 1996.
According to the security service, Usmonov, who used the alias “Saad Mukhtor,” collected money through the Telegram messenger under the guise of donations for Muslims affected by the conflict in Palestine. The SSS said the funds were later used to support terrorists in Syria.
Under the court ruling, seven defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to eight years. Another defendant received a restriction of liberty sentence of four years and four months.
The SSS noted that Article 155-3 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code provides for penalties of up to 15 years in prison for financing terrorism.
The agency also urged citizens not to trust suspicious fundraising appeals on social media and to carefully verify such donation campaigns.