Action targets ISIS facilitators in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
Washington – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today targeting ISIS’s global facilitation network by designating three individuals and three entities as Specially Designated Global Terrorists pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
These actions are part of a continued whole-of-government effort to identify and expose individuals and entities that provide support to ISIS and advance the violent terrorist group’s operational activity. As a result of today’s designations, all property and interests in property of these persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
“The Administration is committed to defeating ISIS wherever it operates, denigrating its illicit revenue streams, and pursuing all financial conduits,” said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “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.”
Abdulpatta Escalon Abubakar
Abdulpatta Escalon Abubakar (Abubakar) was designated for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, ISIS.
Abubakar has served as a key facilitator for ISIS and its network in the Philippines since at least January 2016. In July 2017, Abubakar worked with an ISIS member in the Philippines to facilitate the transfer of approximately $5,000. In August 2016, Abubakar helped facilitate the transfer of approximately $50,000 to ISIS’s network in the Philippines. In July 2016, ISIS sent approximately $20,000, which may have been used by ISIS elements in the Philippines to purchase arms, through Abubakar. In May 2016, at the direction of Isnilon Hapilon (Hapilon), the now deceased former leader of ISIS’s network in the Philippines, Abubakar made arrangements to procure a large amount of ammunition and arms. In January 2016, Abubakar worked with an ISIS member in the Philippines to procure improvised explosive device materials for Hapilon.
In late September 2017, Abubakar was detained by Filipino authorities as he was traveling from the Gulf to the Philippines.
Yunus Emre Sakarya and Profesyoneller Elektronik
Yunus Emre Sakarya (Sakarya) was designated for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, ISIS.
Profesyoneller Elektronik was designated for being owned or controlled by Sakarya and for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, ISIS.
Sakarya has served as a key facilitator involved in the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components for ISIS since at least 2015. Sakarya created in 2015 and has operated a Turkey-based company, Profesyoneller Elektronik, that serves as an ISIS front company involved in the procurement of UAV-related materials. Specifically, in early-to-mid-2016, Profesyoneller Elektronik was involved in transactions for UAV-related equipment that totaled over $500,000 for ISIS.
Mohamed Mire Ali Yusuf, Liibaan Trading, and Al-Mutafaq Commercial Company
Mohamed Mire Ali Yusuf (Mire Ali) was designated for assisting in, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, ISIS.
Liibaan Trading and Al-Mutafaq Commercial Company were designated for being owned or controlled by Mire Ali.
As of mid-2016, Mire Ali was an ISIS-aligned financial operative who provided funds to U.S.-designated Abdulqadir Mumin (Mumin) for his ISIS-aligned activities. During mid-2016, Mire Ali ran all of his business activities through his company, Liibaan Trading, located in downtown Boosaaso, Somalia. Mire Ali was the sole owner of Liibaan, a livestock trading business that served as a front for ISIS-aligned groups in the Bari region of Somalia. The U.S. Department of State designated Mumin on August 31, 2016 pursuant to E.O. 13224.
As of late 2016, Al-Mutafaq Commercial Company was located in Boosaaso, Somalia and run by Mire Ali.
Identifying information on the individuals and entities designated today.
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