MAR 29, 2024 JLM 66°F 12:11 AM 06:11 PM EST
Exclusive: Israel seized Binance crypto accounts to 'thwart' Islamic State, document shows

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - Israel has seized around 190 crypto accounts at crypto exchange Binance since 2021, including two it said were linked to Islamic State and dozens of others it said were owned by Palestinian firms connected to the Islamist Hamas group, documents released by the country's counter-terror authorities show.

Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) on Jan. 12 confiscated two Binance accounts and their contents, one of the documents on the NBCTF's website showed. The seizure was to "thwart the activity" of Islamic State and "impair its ability to further its goals," the NBCTF said on its website.

The NBCTF document, which has not been previously reported, did not give any details on the value of the crypto seized, nor how the accounts were connected to Islamic State.

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volumes, did not respond to Reuters' calls and emails seeking comment before this article was published on Thursday.

In a blog post after its publication, Binance said that Reuters was "deliberately leaving out critical facts".

The exchange has been "working closely with international counter-terrorism authorities" on the seizures, Binance said. "With regard to the specific organizations mentioned in the article, it's important to clarify that bad actors don't register accounts under the names of their criminal enterprises," it said.

Israel's defence ministry, which is responsible for the NBCTF, did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

NEWSRAEL: Binance's answer: The "bad actors don't register accounts under the names of their criminal enterprises" has got to be one of the cringe-worthy things to say, as if anyone expected the "client" to tell them - "We are ISIS - can we please open an account?"

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