Seven members of an international network linked to financing the so-called Islamic State have been convicted in Belgium and sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison.
The investigation, led by Belgian authorities with support from Europol, targeted a group mainly made up of people of Chechen origin living in Europe, Europol announced on Wednesday.
Belgian counter-terrorism units dismantled what Europol described as an infrastructure used for terrorism financing, money laundering using cryptocurrency, and facilitation networks.
The group was involved in funding efforts to secure the release of Foreign Terrorist Fighters — people who travelled abroad to join militant groups — detained in conflict zones including Syria.
It also provided financial support to Islamic State members in Syria and Central Asia, and funded the procurement of weapons and CBRN-E precursors.
CBRN-E refers to materials linked to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives threats.
Investigation involved international co-operation
The convictions were handed down on 9 June 2026, with the seven suspects also receiving substantial financial penalties, Europol said.
German authorities earlier this year issued lengthy prison sentences in related cases.
Belgian authorities took part in Europol’s Operational Taskforce, two action weeks and open-source intelligence work — analysis based on publicly available information — as part of the investigation.
Europol said its CBRN-E specialists provided technical support, and that operational meetings and cross-agency data analysis were used to share information and terrorist financing intelligence.
