(New York, N.Y.) – Facebook has made claims that it refers to international sanctions lists when working to remove terrorist content from their sites. However, researchers at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) have discovered that U.N.-designated persons and organizations maintain a robust social media presence.
Simple searches for social media accounts associated with individuals and entities explicitly identified as being involved in ISIS and/or al-Qaeda financing activities by the U.N. Security Council as per its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List resulted in more than a dozen social media pages belonging to and/or clearly in support of at least nine sanctioned individuals or entities.
Giving individuals and entities involved in terror financing access to major social media platforms is a high-risk endeavor. These terror financiers may potentially leverage social media sites to circumvent sanctions and continue their activities in funding death and destruction.
CEP’s findings are below:
Individuals
Name: Hamid Abdallah Ahmad Al-Ali
Nationality: Kuwait
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: January 16, 2008
Other Information: Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 1822 (2008) was concluded on 14 Sep. 2009. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2253 (2015) was concluded on 21 Feb. 2019. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Individuals
Facebook: Not determined
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hamed_Alali
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85m-sAZ_fQE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4r2eAVLKO0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ9btRhZQik
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined
Name: Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq
Nationality: Saudi Arabia
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: December 10, 2008
Other Information: Financier of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (listed under permanent reference number QDe.118). Has served as the leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in Saudi Arabia. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2253 (2015) was concluded on 21 Feb. 2019. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Individuals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mahmoud.bahaziq
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined
Name: Muthanna Harith al-Dari
Nationality: Iraq
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: March 25, 2010
Other Information: Mother’s name: Heba Khamis Dari. Provided operational guidance financial support and other services to or in support of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, listed as Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) (QDe.115). Involved in oil smuggling. Wanted by the Iraqi security forces. Photo available for inclusion in the INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2368 (2017) was concluded on 4 Dec. 2019. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Individuals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100018713590888, https://www.facebook.com/groups/241321903050575/
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: @muthanna_aldhari (group channel)
Name: Hajjaj Bin Fahd Al Ajmi
Nationality: Kuwait
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: August 15, 2014
Other Information: A Kuwait-based facilitator in charge of the ‘committee of zakat’ and financier for Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant (QDe.137). INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Individuals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%8Ahajajalajmi-1300309286793504/, https://www.facebook.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%8A-756418684702206/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZPsICJem02woh9hmkcrqwg
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: @hajjajalajmi (group channel)
Name: ‘Abd Al-Rahman Bin ‘Umayr Al-Nu’aymi
Nationality: Qatar
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: September 23, 2014
Other Information: Financier and facilitator for Al-Qaida (QDe.004) and Al-Qaida in Iraq (QDe.115). INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Individuals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Binomair.Qatar
Twitter: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined
Name: Nayif Salih Salim Al-Qaysi
Nationality: Yemen
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: February 22, 2017
Other Information: Senior official and a financial supporter of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) (QDe.129). Facilitated the expansion of AQAP in al-Bayda Governorate, Yemen. Involved in planning AQAP's militant operations in Yemen and financed AQAP training camps in 2015. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Individuals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MajorGeneral.naif/, https://www.facebook.com/naifalqais/
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined
Entities
Name: Global Relief Foundation (GRF)
Location: Illinois, United States
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: October 22, 2002
Other Information: Other Foreign Locations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, West Bank and Gaza, Somalia and Syria. Federal Employer Identification Number (United States of America): 36-3804626. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 1822 (2008) was concluded on 21 Jun. 2010. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2368 (2017) was concluded on 4 Dec. 2019. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Entities
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Relief-Foundation/160406967312939
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined
Name: Benevolence International Foundation
Location: Illinois, United States
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: November 21, 2002
Other Information: Employer Identification Number (United States of America): 36-3823186. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 1822 (2008) was concluded on 22 Jun. 2010. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2368 (2017) was concluded on 4 Dec. 2019. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Entities
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benevolence-International-Foundation/139416486077156
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined
Name: Al-Haramain Foundation (Indonesia)
Location: Indonesia
U.N. Security Council Listed Date: January 26, 2004
Other Information: Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 1822 (2008) was concluded on 22 Jun. 2010. Review pursuant to Security Council resolution 2253 (2015) was concluded on 21 Feb. 2019. INTERPOL-UN Security Council Special Notice web link: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/View-UN-Notices-Entities
Twitter: Not determined
YouTube: Not determined
Instagram: Not determined
Telegram: Not determined