Uzbek man arrested for buying South Korean used cars and excavators for Syrian terrorist group

South Korean police say a 29-year-old Uzbek man used cryptocurrency from a Syrian terrorist group to buy Korean used cars and excavators, then send the equipment back to Syria. Authorities described it as the first case detected in South Korea in which terrorist funds were used to purchase vehicles and machinery for re-supply.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency said the man was transferred under arrest to prosecutors on suspicion of violating laws against terrorist financing and related offenses. Three Uzbek nationals in Daejeon are also being investigated without arrest. One allegedly operated a vehicle import-export business under his own name, while the other two accompanied purchases.

The group involved, Katibat Tawhid wal Jihad, or KTJ, is an Islamic extremist armed organization active in Syria and centered on fighters from Central Asia. The United Nations and United States have designated it a terrorist organization. Police said it seeks to overthrow the Syrian government and establish an Islamic theocratic state in Central Asia, and is known to have carried out a 2016 vehicle bombing at the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

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Korean cars do not break down easily and offer good value for money, so KTJ preferred them.

Investigators allege that the arrested man sent KTJ 6.3 million won in cryptocurrency in seven transfers between August 2024 and April of the following year. They also say he received cryptocurrency worth at least 30 million won in three payments to buy used vehicles. Between April and December of the previous year, he allegedly purchased 11 used cars and two excavators in South Korea, with a combined value of about 170 million won, and sent them to Syria.

The man reportedly told police that KTJ preferred Korean vehicles because they were reliable and offered good value for money. Police say he rotated among three cryptocurrency wallets, used his spouse’s name for vehicle payments, and presented another person’s driver’s license when arrested. He had entered South Korea in 2017 on a student visa, remained after his status expired in January 2023, and worked temporary jobs. Uzbekistan had also placed him on an Interpol Red Notice list over alleged terrorist financing. Police said his younger brother was active with KTJ in Syria and that another Red Notice suspect had been booked during the investigation.

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We plan to strengthen monitoring of terrorist groups operating domestically and continue investigating those who assist money laundering.