The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated three ISIS-related individuals as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, meaning all of their property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked.
Further, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
These actions are part of the government’s effort to identify and expose individuals and entities that provide support to ISIS and advance the terrorist group’s operational activity.
“The Administration is committed to defeating ISIS wherever it operates, denigrating its illicit revenue streams, and pursuing all financial conduits,” Sigal Mandelker, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said. “Each individual and entity targeted has contributed to the spread of ISIS’s terror reach in their respective corner of the world. Treasury will continue to relentlessly target ISIS support networks, and ensure that the U.S. and international financial systems are not being exploited by terror operatives.”
The three individuals include Abdulpatta Escalon Abubakar, who has served as a key facilitator for ISIS and its network in the Philippines since at least January 2016. In 2017, Abubakar worked with an ISIS member in the Philippines to facilitate the transfer of approximately $5,000 and in 2016 he helped facilitate the transfer of approximately $50,000 to ISIS’s network in the Philippines. In September 2017, Abubakar was detained by Filipino authorities.
The second man designated was Yunus Emre Sakarya and his company, Profesyoneller Elektronik. Sakarya was a key facilitator involved in the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components for ISIS since at least 2015. His Turkey-based company, Profesyoneller Elektronik, serves as an ISIS front company involved in the procurement of UAV-related materials. Profesyoneller Elektronik was involved in transactions for UAV-related equipment that totaled over $500,000 for ISIS.
Also, the Treasury designated Mohamed Mire Ali Yusuf and his companies, Liibaan Trading, and Al-Mutafaq Commercial Company. Mire Ali was an ISIS-aligned financial operative. He ran all of his business activities through his company, Liibaan Trading, a livestock trading business that served as a front for ISIS-aligned groups in the Bari region of Somalia.