The US government has imposed sanctions on two Egyptian IT experts for providing cybersecurity support to the terrorist organization ISIS. Mu’min Al-Mawji Mahmud Salim and Sarah Jamal Muhammad Al-Sayyid were identified by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for their involvement in the Electronic Horizons Foundation (EHF), an ISIS-affiliated platform. The EHF provided cybersecurity guidance, training, and assistance with cryptocurrency use to ISIS supporters. The sanctions, designed to combat ISIS’s online activities, prohibit transactions with the sanctioned individuals and aim to disrupt their support for the terrorist group.
The US government has announced sanctions against Mu’min Al-Mawji Mahmud Salim and Sarah Jamal Muhammad Al-Sayyid, Egyptian IT experts, for providing cybersecurity support to the terrorist organization ISIS. Mu’min Al-Mawji, the creator of the Electronic Horizons Foundation (EHF), offered cybersecurity guidance and training to ISIS supporters, helping them evade law enforcement scrutiny. Additionally, he provided technical support to ISIS leadership and expertise in cryptocurrency transactions. Sarah Jamal was also sanctioned for assisting in providing cybersecurity support to ISIS, including recruiting members and procuring web servers for ISIS platforms.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions against Turkish national Faruk Guzel for distributing money to ISIS-affiliated persons. These sanctions are part of the US commitment to the mission of the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG), involving over 80 countries and international organizations. The move signifies a growing trend in using economic sanctions to target individuals engaged in malicious cyber activities. These measures aim to create consequences for those supporting terrorist groups through cyber means, particularly when they operate beyond the reach of traditional law enforcement.
The latest sanctions reinforce the US’ commitment to counter ISIS’s facilitation activities online, including its use of virtual currency, recruitment efforts, and promotion of terrorist ideology. This follows a broader international trend where Western governments increasingly employ economic sanctions against individuals involved in malicious cyber activities. The US and the UK had jointly sanctioned individuals linked to the Trickbot malware and Conti ransomware groups in September 2023, while Australia publicly named and sanctioned a Russian national for the 2022 Medibank data breach in January 2024. These measures reflect a coordinated effort to address cyber threats and disrupt support networks for terrorist organizations.
Reference:
