Finland 2024
08/02/2024: The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Interior have partially updated the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment they prepared in April 2021 with additional data collected in 2023 and 2022 namely the deficiencies related to the exchange of information, both by the authorities and the private sector, and the importance of virtual currency providers, credit institutions and payment service providers in terms of terrorism financing. This is the third national risk assessment in a row. (Source)
Furthermore, Finnish authorities have drafted a whole new National Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment Action Plan as there are still gaps in information exchange between authorities, with the private sector and among those required to report, which poses a significant risk across sectors. This updated version of the Action Plan aims at rectifying those flaws and is set to determine Finnish policy until 2025. (Source)
11/03/2024: A Finland-based Somali was placed on US sanctions list over money-laundering activities in Finland for the benefit of the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization in Somalia. The man was identified as Hassan Abdirahman Mahamed and is part of the network of Dubai-based Haleel Commodities L.L.C., also known as Haleel Group which is a key financial facilitator for Al-Shabaab. (Source)
However, investigations carried out by Helsingin Sanomat on May 27, 2024 revealed that he has not even been imprisoned in Finland or placed under a travel ban. This awkward situation once again highlights the pusillanimous reactions of Finnish authorities against individuals involved in terrorist groups despite the strengthening of Finland legislation in this matter. (Source)
26/03/2024: Supo has published the 2023 Yearbook summarizing the trends of terrorism threat recorded throughout 2023. There is a significant rise of Far-Right terrorist activities according to latest developments where several actors were arrested throughout the past few years. Concerning Islamism, the principal measures taken in Finland to support radical Islam concern the transfer of funds and the spread of ideology online especially through encrypted instant messaging applications and chat groups where propaganda content is shared among individuals not necessarily related to any terrorist groups. The war in Gaza is acknowledged as a fuel for violence worldwide that may impact European and Finnish security. The most significant threat is posed by ideologically inspired and radicalised individuals and small groups.
The threat of Islamist terrorism in Finland comes primarily from radicalized individuals or small groups, likely carrying out attacks using simple methods targeting civilians or authorities in public places. Offensive actions against Islam, such as Quran burning or military actions against terrorist groups, heighten the risk of attacks. Finland saw its first conviction for terrorism training in 2023. The spread of Islamist propaganda is mostly through encrypted messaging apps and online groups, with individuals often following multiple extremist organizations. While Islamist terrorism threats increased in Europe in 2023, particularly after the Hamas-Israel conflict, the threat in Finland has not significantly risen. The phenomenon of foreign fighters continues to impact the Islamist environment, but the likelihood of networks activating in Finland remains low. Globally, the focus of Islamist terrorism is primarily in conflict zones like Syria, Iraq, and the Sahel, with groups like IS and Al-Qaeda attempting to carry out attacks in the West. However, the threat remains elevated in Finland, driven by individuals with previous violence-related backgrounds, and there is a growing concern about the radicalization of minors. (Source)
12/04/2024: Juha Martelius, the new head of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service, has declared that "Radical Islamist terrorism poses the greatest risks in Finland, and Far-Right terrorism the second-highest. Both threats have increased, and we cannot rule out anything else". Moreover, he particularly underscored the receptiveness of Youth towards regarding radical narratives. Terrorist attacks are unlikely in Finland in the short term and there are a total of approximately 350 target individuals for counter-terrorism monitoring activities. (Source)
22/04/2024: A coordinated operation under the leadership of Europol Operational Task Force Flow II mobilized Finnish (Rajavartiolaitos) and Swedish (Polismyndigheten) security apparatuses to dismantle a criminal network smuggling mainly Syrian and Iraqi migrants transiting through Russia and Belarus to Europe in return for finance, i.e. around 3000-5000 euros including a portion in cryptocurrency. In total, 21 people were arrested, including 4 in Finland in 10 different local areas. Vehicles, gold, drugs jewelry and counterfeit cigarettes were seized by authorities along with 80,000 euros in cash. Part of the revenue generated by this network was intended to finance terrorist activities. The operation also took place in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the Baltic countries. (Source)
07/05/2024: As part of an operation to repatriate American citizens from the al-Hol camp in North-West Syria where nearly 40,000 women and children affiliated to IS from 60 countries are detained, an 18-year-old Finn who was among the 30 Finnish kids taken to Syria ten years ago, was also exfiltrated from the camp by the American, Kuwaiti and Free Syrian authorities and repatriated to Finland. The operation concerned other nationalities, namely 6 Canadians and 4 Dutch women. He actually the boy who got separated from his family which members came back to Finland in December 2021 while he spent the past 6 years in the Kurdish detention camp. He will be granted physical and psycho-social support by Finnish authorities considering the harsh conditions he previously lived through on his own. (Source)
09/07/2024: The assets of eight people have been frozen on the grounds of combating terrorism. They are only allowed to use the money for essential expenses such as food, housing and healthcare. Other uses of money are largely prevented on the grounds of combating terrorism. Abderrahman Bouanane, convicted of the 2017 Turku stabbing attack, is one of the eight young men whose assets have been frozen to combat terrorism. (Source)
23/07/2024: The Nordic Counter Terrorism Network drafted and submitted to the Finnish and Somali authorities a special report on the propaganda activities of a Somali IS militant named "E. M." who was operating between Finland and Somalia from May 2024 to August 2024. His actions on Facebook targeting mostly Somali audiences were closely monitored and recorded in the report notably his posts spreading materials glorifying IS wings in Somalia and Mozambique through several accounts successively shot down one by one. He even had a media channel of his own in Somali language sharing information on IS attacks around the world and had contacts with many IS sympathizers, one being located in Stockholm and having previously fought in Syria.
13/09/2024: The Finnish Central Criminal Police (KRP) arrested in the Helsinki District Court three men suspected of being linked to the extremist organization IS. The suspects are not Finnish citizens, at least one of the men has Caucasian ancestry and has been in Ingushetia thus implying that the group may be sympathizers of ISKP or IS Khorasan Province which is the regional wing of IS in Afghanistan and Pakistan. One was living in Vantaa while the two others resided in Helsinki and are currently suspected of participating in terrorist activities in Helsinki between January 1, 2023 and June 10, 2024. According to the Criminal Code, participating in the activities of a terrorist group can result in a sentence of at least four months and at most eight years in prison. Any charges in the case must be filed by January 30, 2025. Since no concrete threat of terrorist attack was identified by Finnish authorities, Finland's Terrorism Threat Assessment remains unchanged despite recent terrorist attacks or attempted attacks in Europe. (Source)
15/10/2024: Despite the terrorism threat level that was raised to four on a five-point scale by Norwegian authorities in reaction to the tense situation in the Middle East and Sweden, this situation has not so far affected Finland's terrorist threat level according to Supo. Sweden has now been an exceptional target of radical Islamist propaganda, meaning the situation is different than in Finland. Supo emphasizes once again that each country's situation is unique and that the situation in another country is not directly comparable, even to a neighboring country, even though terrorist activities and networks typically cross national borders. (Source)
04/11/2024: The Ministry of the Interior has published the National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in the NPO Sector 2024. This updated assessment gives a new insight of the threats and the risks of money laundering and terrorism financing. In Finland, it has been observed that terrorism is mainly financed with funds from legal sources, and the money is moved using bank transfers, cash or money remittance services from Finland to abroad. Although eight individuals got their assets frozen by authorities for terrorist activities in July 2024, no final convictions had been issued in Finland for the financing of terrorism in 2024. (Source)
20/12/2024: A report entitled "Reform of the Penal Code for Terrorist Crimes" was submitted to the Finnish Ministry of Justice by a research group set up by authorities that proposes the adoption of a new Chapter 34a of the Criminal Code on terrorist offences. The aim of the reform is to clarify, modernize, and make the current legislation more relevent to better address the evolution of terrorism and Finland’s international commitments. The working group recommends replacing the current Chapter 34a with a new, clearer, more structured, and broader text. This new chapter would significantly expand the scope of criminalization to include not only the commission of terrorist acts but also their preparation and any assistance given to future acts, including support provided to others. Offenses would also cover merely staying in a territory controlled by a terrorist group without valid justification. The primary goal is to ensure a more readable legal framework, more precise definitions, and clearer relationships between various terrorist offenses, while also strengthening sanctions to better reflect the seriousness and danger of terrorist activities.
The mainly technical changes resulting from the enactment of the new Chapter 34a of the Criminal Code are proposed to be made to other legislation, including Chapter 10 of the Coercive Measures Act on secret coercive measures and Chapter 5 of the Police Act on secret means of obtaining information. The report also emphasizes the importance of respecting fundamental rights and international obligations while ensuring effective protection against terrorist threats. International comparisons, particularly with the legislation of countries such as Norway, Sweden, Germany, and France, were used to align the Finnish reform with the broader European and global context. In conclusion, the working group sees this reform as necessary to provide Finland with robust, modern counter-terrorism legislation, capable of addressing new threats while fully respecting the Rule of Law and fundamental rights.(Source)