Lithuania charges Kyrgyz national with financing Hamas

A Kyrgyz national with a temporary residence permit in Lithuania has been charged with financing terrorism after allegedly transferring cryptocurrency to Hamas, the country's State Security Department has said.

Prosecutors say the man, born in 1977, carried out several transactions from a personal cryptocurrency wallet in the summer of 2025, sending funds to the Al-Qassam Brigades – the armed wing of Hamas. The total amount transferred is said to have been around 200 euros.

He was arrested on March 21 at Vilnius Airport after arriving on a flight from Istanbul, and has been remanded in custody for three months – the most restrictive measure available under Lithuanian law. Investigators say he has admitted his guilt. The case has been referred to the Vilnius Regional Court.

The State Security Department said the man held radical Islamist views and was a supporter of Hamas. Charges have been brought under provisions of the Lithuanian Criminal Code relating to crimes defined in international treaties on terrorism financing. Under that code, directly or indirectly providing funds or other material support for terrorism carries a prison sentence of between three and ten years.

Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, is designated a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom, among others.

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