The U.S. Treasury Department announced yesterday on January 30th that it has imposed sanctions on two Egyptian nationals for their work allegedly training members of ISIS on cybersecurity and facilitating overseas funding efforts for the group.
In the press release, it was stated that Mu’min Al-Mawji Mahmud Salim, a resident of Egypt, had established an Electronic Horizons Foundation (EHF) with the aim of providing cybersecurity training to Daesh, their supporters, and leaders, and to protect their online security.
Mu’min Al-Mawji Mahmud Salim was widely known among the Khawarijs as the Daesh technician, owing to his extensive experience in cybersecurity.
His wife, Sarah Jamal Muhammad Al-Sayyid, was also a partner of Mu’min, and together they managed the Electronic Horizons Foundation (EHF). They also collected funds from Khawarijs under the guise of aid.
Sarah Jamal Muhammad Al-Sayyid (Sarah Jamal) was also sanctioned for assisting Mu’min Al-Mawji in providing cybersecurity support to ISIS.
Her activities included recruiting other ISIS members to join EHF and procuring web servers to host ISIS platforms on behalf of the platform.
The prominent cybersecurity couple of Daesh has been accused, almost two years ago, of misusing the funds collected in the name of ISIS for their personal expenses, such as purchasing properties and vehicles.
These allegations came to light when an online server managed by the Electronic Horizons Foundation (EHF) was hacked in March 2022. The hacker, who identified himself as an ISIS operative, also shared photographs of Mu’min, his wife, and his Foundation.
Following the publication of these revelations, the activities of EHF were impeded and their operations were disrupted.
The misappropriation of funds collected in the name of jihad for personal use is not an uncommon practice within ISIS.
Many of the lower-ranking members of Daesh are consistently discontented with their ignorant leaders, as the funds collected under their name are often employed for personal purposes, while they are instructed to remain patient.
