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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"cfdf5a44-2df6-4901-9ea8-c6fafad47ef8","kind":"publish","page_slug":"abdelhakim-boukich","published_at":"2026-06-26T17:07:55.880Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Abdelhakim Boukich","sections":[{"content":"On June 22, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) formally designated Abdelhakim Boukich pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for ISIS. Boukich was added to the SDN list under the SDGT (Specially Designated Global Terrorist) tag. The designation was part of a broader coordinated action targeting three individuals and six entities across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa. As a result of this designation, all property and interests in property of Boukich subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him.","heading":"OFAC Designation and Sanctions Status","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Targets ISIS Facilitators and Disrupts Terrorist Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0537"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Counter Terrorism Designations — Office of Foreign Assets Control (June 22, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260622"}]},{"content":"Abdelhakim Boukich was born on December 15, 1993, in The Hague, Netherlands, with an alternative date of birth of January 1, 1991, and an alternative place of birth of Aleppo, Syria, recorded in official OFAC documentation. He holds Dutch nationality and is also associated with a Syrian National ID number (02040063438). Boukich operates under at least two known aliases: Abu Sulayman Alholandi (a nom de guerre combining an Arabic forename with 'al-Holandi,' meaning 'the Dutchman') and Muhammad Babili. At the time of designation he was reported to be residing in Syria.","heading":"Identity and Aliases","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Counter Terrorism Designations — Office of Foreign Assets Control (June 22, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260622"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets ISIS Crypto Financing Network, Including Bitcoin Xchange — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"}]},{"content":"Boukich established Bitcoin Xchange, a Syria-based money service business, in late 2020 together with Syria-based associates. According to TRM Labs, which had been tracking the exchange and the broader ecosystem of Idlib-area crypto exchangers since early 2022, Bitcoin Xchange functioned as a core off-ramp for ISIS-linked cryptocurrency fundraising campaigns. The business operated as a pooling and conversion layer: donors transmitted cryptocurrency through Telegram-based campaigns circulating across ISIS-affiliated channels, Bitcoin Xchange received those funds, converted them to cash, and delivered the proceeds to individuals and families held in displacement camps such as al-Hol and Roj in northeast Syria. The exchange charged a fee of 2 to 5 percent per transaction. Boukich controlled and directed these operations. Blockchain addresses attributed to Bitcoin Xchange carried approximately $10 million in combined incoming and outgoing volume, with hundreds of individual transactions linked to ISIS-affiliated fundraising campaigns.","heading":"Bitcoin Xchange: Establishment and Operations","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets ISIS Crypto Financing Network, Including Bitcoin Xchange — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Targets ISIS Facilitators and Disrupts Terrorist Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0537"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions ISIS Financial Facilitators — Chainalysis","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-isis-financial-facilitators-june-2026/"}]},{"content":"Bitcoin Xchange served as a financial node connecting ISIS-linked donors in multiple Western and other countries to operatives and families on the ground in Syria. According to the U.S. Treasury, donor flows processed by Boukich and Bitcoin Xchange originated from Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United States. This international reach indicates the exchange operated as a cross-border hawala-style intermediary, bridging diaspora donor networks to ISIS camp infrastructure in northeast Syria.","heading":"Geographic Scope and Donor Networks","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Targets ISIS Facilitators and Disrupts Terrorist Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0537"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Three Individuals and Six Entities for Routing Crypto to ISIS — CryptoNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/security/33048474/"}]},{"content":"The June 22, 2026 OFAC action that designated Boukich also targeted two other individuals and five additional entities. Abdurrahmane Miloud, a France-based individual, was designated for conducting transactions with ISIS-affiliated individuals in Syria; OFAC added two TRON wallet addresses associated with Miloud to the SDN list (TBXMiRqUp1XH1zLazWu8cWitMAScv4HsYq and TDFj8tYzfLDkwEMo4MJ2DfrbpMztuCCnan). Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, a Nigerian national, was also designated along with three Nigeria-based money service businesses: Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau de Change, Manhattan Bureau de Change, and Generation Currency Bureau de Change. The action reflects a multi-continent ISIS financial facilitation network that used both crypto and traditional fiat channels.","heading":"Co-Designated Individuals and Entities","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets ISIS Crypto Financing Network, Including Bitcoin Xchange — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Counter Terrorism Designations — Office of Foreign Assets Control (June 22, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260622"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Department of Treasury Targets Crypto-Enabled Networks Supporting ISIS — Crowdfund Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/06/287193-us-department-of-treasury-targets-crypto-enabled-networks-supporting-isis-in-june-2026-sanctions/"}]},{"content":"The designation of Boukich fits within a documented pattern of ISIS leveraging cryptocurrency and informal value transfer networks to sustain financial operations post-territorial collapse. FinCEN issued a related advisory in April 2025 on ISIS cryptocurrency financing methods. Researcher reports from the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE) and West Point's Combating Terrorism Center have documented how pro-ISIS transnational networks use Telegram-based donation campaigns to fundraise for detainees and family members held in camps like al-Hol. TRM Labs noted it had been monitoring the Idlib-area crypto exchanger ecosystem — of which Bitcoin Xchange was a part — since early 2022, suggesting Boukich's operations had been active for several years before the formal OFAC designation.","heading":"Broader ISIS Crypto Financing Context","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets ISIS Crypto Financing Network, Including Bitcoin Xchange — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Advisory on ISIS Financing — FinCEN (April 2025)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/advisory/2025-04-01/FinCEN-Advisory-ISIS-508C.pdf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"How ISIS Uses Cryptocurrency: The Case of Al-Hol Camp — MEMRI","type":"research","url":"https://www.memri.org/reports/how-isis-uses-cryptocurrency-case-al-hol-camp-and-model-future"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Targets ISIS Facilitators and Disrupts Terrorist Financial Networks — U.S. Department of the Treasury","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0537"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Counter Terrorism Designations — Office of Foreign Assets Control (June 22, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260622"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Targets ISIS Crypto Financing Network, Including Bitcoin Xchange — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions ISIS Financial Facilitators — Chainalysis","type":"research","url":"https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-sanctions-isis-financial-facilitators-june-2026/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Three Individuals and Six Entities for Routing Crypto to ISIS — CryptoNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptonews.net/news/security/33048474/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Department of Treasury Targets Crypto-Enabled Networks Supporting ISIS — Crowdfund Insider","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2026/06/287193-us-department-of-treasury-targets-crypto-enabled-networks-supporting-isis-in-june-2026-sanctions/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions ISIS Operators for Financing Terror Group with Crypto — FINCHANNEL","type":"news_article","url":"https://finchannel.com/ofac-sanctions-isis-operators-for-financing-terror-group-with-crypto/131854/crime/2026/06/"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FinCEN Advisory on ISIS Financing — FinCEN (April 2025)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/advisory/2025-04-01/FinCEN-Advisory-ISIS-508C.pdf"},{"credibility":2,"name":"How ISIS Uses Cryptocurrency: The Case of Al-Hol Camp — MEMRI","type":"research","url":"https://www.memri.org/reports/how-isis-uses-cryptocurrency-case-al-hol-camp-and-model-future"},{"credibility":2,"name":"U.S. Treasury Sanctions ISIS Financial Facilitators Across Europe, Middle East and West Africa — Traders Union","type":"news_article","url":"https://tradersunion.com/news/financial-news/show/2443938-us-treasury-sanctions-isis-financiers/"}],"summary":"Abdelhakim Boukich is a former Dutch national operating from Syria who was designated by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on June 22, 2026, for materially supporting ISIS through cryptocurrency financing. Boukich established and controls Bitcoin Xchange, a Syria-based money service business that served as a core off-ramp for ISIS-linked fundraising campaigns, processing approximately $10 million in transaction volume across hundreds of transactions with ISIS-affiliated networks. He is listed on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under the SDGT tag and is known by the aliases Abu Sulayman Alholandi and Muhammad Babili.","timeline":[{"date":"1993-12-15","event":"Abdelhakim Boukich born in The Hague, Netherlands (alternative DOB of 1991-01-01 also recorded in OFAC records).","source":"OFAC SDN List — Counter Terrorism Designations","source_url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260622"},{"date":"2020-01-01","event":"Boukich establishes Bitcoin Xchange in Syria with local associates in late 2020, forming a money service business targeting ISIS-linked fundraising flows.","source":"TRM Labs / U.S. Treasury Press Release","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"},{"date":"2022-01-01","event":"TRM Labs begins tracking Bitcoin Xchange and the broader Idlib-area crypto exchanger ecosystem, identifying it as a node in ISIS financing networks.","source":"TRM Labs","source_url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-targets-isis-crypto-financing-network-including-bitcoin-xchange"},{"date":"2025-04-01","event":"FinCEN publishes advisory on ISIS cryptocurrency financing methods, highlighting camp-based fundraising infrastructure similar to Bitcoin Xchange's operating model.","source":"FinCEN Advisory","source_url":"https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/advisory/2025-04-01/FinCEN-Advisory-ISIS-508C.pdf"},{"date":"2026-06-22","event":"OFAC designates Abdelhakim Boukich and Bitcoin Xchange under Executive Order 13224, as amended by EO 13886, adding both to the SDN list under the SDGT tag alongside two other individuals and five other entities.","source":"U.S. Department of the Treasury Press Release","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0537"}]},"v":1}