US EditionAccused in Two Terror Attacks in India Used Online Payment Services, E-Commerce Platforms, VPNs: Terror Financing Watchdog’s Report
INDIA, JUL 8 – FATF highlights terrorist use of e-commerce and digital payments to fund attacks, with 19 individuals charged under India's Unlawful Activities Act, including seven foreign nationals.
- On July 8, 2025, FATF released a report revealing that individuals accused in two recent terrorist incidents in India relied on digital payment methods, internet-based shopping sites, and VPN technology to support their financing.
- This development follows investigations into the 2019 attack in Pulwama involving Jaish-e-Mohammed and the April 2022 assault on Gorakhnath Temple carried out by an individual motivated by ISIL ideology.
- Investigations found the accused transferred Rs 669,841 via 44 PayPal transactions to ISIL supporters abroad while using VPN services to conceal their digital activities before arrest.
- FATF emphasized that fintech growth increased terrorist use of fast, low-cost, and less traceable digital payment methods, and e-commerce sites supplied key attack materials like aluminium powder.
- The report warns that misuse of digital platforms and state sponsorship complicate terror financing detection, noting PayPal suspended suspicious accounts, preventing further illicit transfers.
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Pulwama to Gorakhnath attack: FATF flags misuse of digital tools
FATF has warned that terrorists are misusing online platforms like Amazon and PayPal for funding attacks. In a new report, it cited India’s Pulwama attack and the Gorakhnath Temple incident as examples of how digital tools are being exploited globally.
Pulwama, Gorakhnath attackers used e-commerce sites and VPN, finds FATF report
The FATF report, without naming any country, noted it had received reports from its delegations about the use of state sponsorship for terrorist financing, as fundraising technique or as part of the financial management strategy of certain organisations engaging in terrorist acts.
Accused in two terror attacks in India used online payment services, e-commerce platforms, VPNs: terror financing watchdog’s report
The global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog cites the ‘lone actor’ attack on security personnel at at Gorakhnath Temple in Uttar Pradesh on April 3, 2022, and the Pulwama suicide-bomb attack in February 2019 which killed 40 CRPF personnel
Key IED Component In Pulwama Attack Procured Via E-Commerce Website: FATF Flags Online Platforms’ Misuse For Terror
The FATF report details how aluminum powder, an essential component in the improvised explosive device used during the Pulwama attack, was purchased via Amazon, a major e-commerce platform.
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