Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm

The indictment of an American citizen, prosecuted for funding the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has exposed how Turkey became a key conduit for illicit cryptocurrency transactions used to finance the jihadist group’s operations in Syria.

Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, a 35-year-old Virginia resident and naturalized US citizen originally from India, transferred over $188,000 to ISIS. The funds were used to help secure the release of ISIS fighters and their families in Syria, utilizing Turkish intermediaries and cryptocurrency.

In an affidavit submitted to U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsey R. Vaala on May 4, 2023, FBI Special Agent Gary T. Marosy explained that funds sent to ISIS in Syria often followed this method through Turkish brokers. The money was transferred via cryptocurrency, a difficult-to-trace form of currency, to couriers in Turkey. These couriers would then convert the cryptocurrency into cash, which was secretly smuggled into Syria without leaving a trace.

Intercepted communications revealed that Chhipa’s contact in Syria advised him not to send money directly to Syria or elsewhere, but rather to route it through Turkey, where ISIS could safely collect the cash and redirect it to fund their operations in Syria.

Chhipa, an IT professional who has lived in the US since the age of four after his family emigrated from India, was flagged by the FBI in 2019. The law enforcement agency was alerted when a dozen social media accounts he managed began posting violent jihadist messages.

Affidavit submitted to U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsey R. Vaala on May 4, 2023 by FBI Special Agent Gary T. Marosy:

Chhipa_affidavit_FBI

In a post dated March 18, 2019 he wrote: “The sword is a must. Jihad is a must. Nothing terrifies the enemies – the enemies of the Muslimin– nothing terrifies them like power, force and, weapons…Jihad is a brick and solid pillar of the Shari’ah…This din [religion] can not be established and firmly planted without jihad, ever.”

On the same day, in another post, Chhipa quoted Shaykh al-Allamah Humud Ibn Ulqa ash-Shu’aybi, a renowned radical Saudi cleric who was supportive of the Afghan Taliban and the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In a chat conversation on March 16, 2019 Chhipa said he would either end up in prison, engage in jihad by moving abroad or become a martyr by killing himself. In June 2019, during communications with a covert FBI-run social media account, Chhipa admitted his support for ISIS and expressed his desire to carry out an attack against what he referred to as infidels and hypocrites, hoping to die in the name of Allah.

Chhipa fled the country on August 2, 2019, believing he would be arrested following an FBI search warrant executed at his home. The US secured a blue notice through INTERPOL, requesting assistance in locating, identifying or obtaining information about him in connection with a criminal investigation. Chhipa was forced to return to the US before reaching Egypt, part of his planned multi-route escape through Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Germany. He was detained near the Mexican-Guatemalan border and deported to the US by Mexican authorities on August 16, 2019.

The FBI uncovered a cache of evidence during the search, which included instructions for building a bomb, PDF copies of the ISIS publication Dabiq and photos depicting beheadings and armed ISIS fighters.

After returning to the US without facing charges, Chhipa believed he was in the clear and resumed his activities on behalf of ISIS. He frequently communicated with British ISIS women living in Syria who were funding ISIS fighters and assisting in the escape of their family members from the Al Hawl camp (also known as Al Hol).

The camp was established in 2016 to house Iraqis and Syrians fleeing ISIS-controlled areas. By March 2019 over 50,000 women and children had settled in a special section of the camp known as the annex, following the final defeat of ISIS by the US-led coalition. The annex is guarded by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters, who are reportedly open to bribes to allow ISIS family members to escape the camp.

The annex continues to serve as a stronghold for ISIS ideology, operating under strict Islamic sharia law similar to that of ISIS. The SDF is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey due to their alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist group by the US, the EU and Turkey.

Beginning in November 2019, Chhipa started depositing cash into his Apple Federal Credit Union bank account, converting the funds into cryptocurrency through service providers Coinbase and Binance, and sending them to Turkey.

The FBI’s analysis revealed that over $18,000 was sent to cryptocurrency wallets associated with ISIS women in Syria, $61,000 went to wallets located in Turkey, and more than $60,000 remains unaccounted for.

US Government’s Memorandum in Support of Pre-Trial Detention for Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, an ISIS Suspect:

US_attorney_motion_for _detention_ISIS-suspect

In a communication obtained by the FBI, an ISIS member advised Chhipa never to send money directly to her, but rather through Turkey. “Never sent directly to me it[’]s always sent to [T]urkey and then secretly sent to me with no tracks,” she wrote, prompting Chhipa to reply by saying that “I know how it works.”

The FBI used several covert accounts to communicate with Chhipa and his ISIS contact in Syria through what is known as FBI Controlled Persona (FBICP), which refers to accounts operated by undercover agents or confidential human sources. This communication was instrumental in deciphering the scheme Chhipa was running for ISIS.

In late April 2023 the FBI placed Chhipa under close surveillance, which he noticed, prompting him to attempt to flee the country for a second time. He received tips from an unidentified person with a German phone number on how to avoid detection. When he withdrew $8,000 in cash from his bank account, the FBI concluded that he was planning to escape.

Chhipa was arrested by the FBI on May 4, 2023 on an arrest warrant charging him with providing material support to ISIS, a crime that carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and possibly a lifetime of supervised release. He was detained pending trial on May 10, 2023.

During a May 2023 hearing, Assistant US Attorney Anthony Aminoff revealed that Chhipa had a relationship with Allison Fluke-Ekren, an American ISIS member from Kansas who is currently serving a 20-year sentence. Fluke-Ekren pleaded guilty in 2022 to organizing and leading Khatiba Nusaybah, a battalion where approximately 100 women and girls were trained in the use of automatic weapons, grenades and suicide belts. The two married through an online encounter, and Chhipa had been attempting to adopt Fluke-Ekren’s children.

Chhipa’s case underscores how the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to tolerate ISIS activities in and through Turkey, rather than genuinely cracking down on the terrorist network. Official figures indicate that only about one in four ISIS detainees is arrested during arraignment in Turkish courts, effectively creating a revolving door policy for ISIS suspects.

Many ISIS suspects who were arrested are later released during trial hearings, and very few actually receive convictions and serve prison time. The Turkish government avoids disclosing how many ISIS members have been convicted, despite parliamentary inquiries from opposition parties.

For years, the Erdogan government turned a blind eye as ISIS moved fighters, funding and logistical supplies through Turkey. During 2015-2016, Turkish intelligence agency MIT reportedly contracted the ISIS network in Turkey to carry out a series of violent bombings to further a political agenda and help the Erdogan government maintain power amid increased terrorist threats during election cycles.