US imposes sanctions on 20 ISIS and Al Qaeda operatives in Maldives

The sanctions named key members of the ISIS-affiliated Addu City cell, which has attempted to carry out terrorist attacks since at least 2018, the US said. AP

The US on Monday imposed sanctions on 20 people accused of financially supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda operations in the Maldives, with several of those sanctioned allegedly having been involved in planning attacks on journalists and local authorities.

Among those sanctioned was Mohamad Ameen, who has been accused of being a key recruiter for ISIS-K.

“The United States will continue to deter and disrupt financial and other support for terrorist attacks in Maldives,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The Treasury and State Departments also designated 29 companies.

Monday's sanctions named key members of the ISIS-affiliated Addu City cell, which has attempted to carry out terrorist attacks since at least 2018, Washington said.

Jinaau Naseem, the self-proclaimed leader of the cell, has provided financial support to foreign terrorist fighters in Syria.

Other members of the cell are accused of planning an IED attack, producing propaganda and enabling the travel of members to Syria. They were also designated by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control for having assisted ISIS with financial or technological support.

The new sanctions also named people participating in a Maldives-based gang that helped fund ISIS activities and prepare potential members to be sent to areas of conflict.

“The United States is committed to denying funding and resources to these terrorist support networks and countering the threats they pose both locally and internationally,” said Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence.

The announcement comes after Washington designated an ISIS-Somalia finance leader last week with the aim of disrupting the group's “ability to generate, store and move funds”.