US blacklists Pinoy, 2 others for financing Islamic State

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AFP/Reuters) — The United States (US) Treasury on Friday placed three men – including a Filipino – who are allegedly part of the Islamic State’s (IS) global financial network on its sanctions blacklist.

The move of the US government seeks to shut down the flow of funds to the global terrorist group.

The Treasury identified the Filipino as Abdulpatta Escalon Abubakar who allegedly provided financial and material support for Islamic State and its network in the Philippines.

Abubakar is alleged to have been instrumental in getting funds to the IS network in the Philippines in 2016 and 2017, handling transfers from IS outside the country. He also helped the group obtain weapons and explosives, the Treasury said.

Abubakar was arrested by Filipino authorities last September after he flew into Manila from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Treasury also blacklisted Yunus Emre Sakarya of Turkey and his firm Profesyoneller Elektronik for procuring parts for unmanned aircraft for Islamic State. His Turkey-based company handled some $500,000 worth of orders for the drones and related equipment in 2016, it said.

Also sanctioned was Mohamed Mire Ali Yusuf, along with his firms Liibaan Trading and Al Mutafaq Commercial Company for activities supporting Islamic State in Somalia. Mire Ali’s livestock trading business “served as a front for ISIS-aligned groups in the Bari region of Somalia,”