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.

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
Explore More

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