E-Commerce Exploited for Terror: FATF Highlights Pulwama Attack’s Amazon Link

NEW DELHI: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global watchdog on terror financing, has flagged the misuse of e-commerce platforms and digital payment systems to support terrorist activities, citing India’s 2019 Pulwama attack as a key example. According to a recent FATF report, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives purchased aluminium powder through Amazon’s online marketplace to enhance the destructive power of an improvised explosive device (IED) used in the attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel.

The report detailed how investigations uncovered the cross-border smuggling of large quantities of explosives into India. A critical component, aluminium powder, was procured via Amazon’s ad network, EPOM, and used to amplify the IED’s blast. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified Waiz-ul-Islam as the individual who used his Amazon account to acquire chemicals, batteries, and other materials for the IED, acting on instructions from Pakistani JeM terrorists. The NIA’s chargesheet noted that Waiz-ul-Islam personally delivered these items to JeM operatives as part of the conspiracy. Additionally, accused Sajjad Bhat purchased a Maruti Eeco car to execute the attack, according to the NIA’s findings filed in a Jammu special court. The chargesheet named JeM chief Moulana Masood Azhar, his brothers Rouf Asgar and Ammar Alvi, suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, and 15 others as accused.

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The FATF report also referenced a 2022 attack on security personnel at Gorakhnath Temple in Uttar Pradesh, where the lone accused used PayPal to transfer funds to the Islamic State. The report highlighted a growing trend of terrorists exploiting online platforms for operational purposes, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance.