Hamas attack victims sue Binance for allegedly allowing payments to group

Victims of Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel sued Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao, accusing them of facilitating millions of dollars in payments to the group and other US-designated terrorist groups.

According to a complaint made public on Monday, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange laundered money for Hamas even after pleading guilty in November 2023 and paying a $4.32 billion criminal penalty for violating federal anti-money-laundering and sanctions laws.

The plaintiffs include 306 American victims of Hamas' attack, including relatives of people killed, injured or taken hostage, and subsequent attacks by various groups.

They accused Binance of knowingly enabling Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Iran's Revolutionary Guard to move more than $1b through its platform, including more than $50m after the 7 October attack.

Zhao pleaded guilty to anti-money-laundering violations in connection with Binance's plea and served a four-month prison sentence. US President Donald Trump pardoned him on October 23.

- Reporting by Reuters