U.N.: ISIS made up to $45 million in ransoms this year

U.N.: ISIS made up to $45 million in ransoms this year
(Image credit: iStock)

A U.N. terrorist-monitoring expert has said that ISIS has received between $35 million and $45 million in ransom payments so far this year.

Yotsna Lalji made the announcement at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee on Monday. Lalji estimated that terrorist groups received $120 million in kidnapping ransoms between 2004 and 2012.

Ransom money is "the core al-Qaida tactic for generating revenue," Lalji said, adding that kidnapping for ransom "continues to grow." She stated that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb made $75 million in ransoms in the past four years, and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula made $20 million in ransoms from 2011 to 2013.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.