Spain’s high court for major criminal cases opened an investigation into a 38-year-old man accused of sending about €600,000 in cryptocurrency transfers to digital addresses allegedly linked to an entity used by Hamas, according to police and multiple Spanish media reports.
The suspect, described by investigators as a Chinese national who ran a hair salon in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, was detained on Tuesday, and later released pending proceedings, with restrictions that included surrendering his passport and reporting regularly to court, Spanish outlets reported.
The investigation was overseen by Spain’s Audiencia Nacional and carried out by Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalonia regional police. Authorities said they documented at least 31 crypto transfers, carried out from wallets controlled by the suspect, to addresses linked to the suspected Hamas-related entity.
Spanish police said the case started in June 2025 as a separate probe into alleged fraud and money laundering, before investigators flagged the cryptocurrency activity and escalated the matter into a terrorism-financing investigation.
During searches of the suspect’s home and business, investigators said they seized more than €100,000 in cash, luxury jewelry, roughly 9,000 cigars, computers, and mobile phones, and they froze bank accounts and crypto assets. Police and Spanish media reported the combined value of seized and blocked assets exceeded €370,000.
Police declined to comment on the suspect’s possible motives or whether he knowingly interacted with Hamas or served as an intermediary, citing the sensitivity of the investigation.
Hair salon remains open after owner's Hamas-linked arrest
A longer report by El Español said the salon remained open after the court appearance and described the suspect and his partner as continuing to work there. The outlet also reported that investigators had not publicly described signs of ideological radicalization and were examining whether financial incentives or a wider criminal network played a role, while stressing the inquiry was still under judicial secrecy.
The case drew broad coverage across Spanish media, including El País, La Vanguardia, Ara, and RTVE, which reported similar details about the alleged transfer totals, the number of transactions, and the judicial restrictions imposed after the arrest.
Authorities in Europe have repeatedly warned that terrorist groups use cryptocurrency to move funds across borders, complicating efforts to track and disrupt terror financing, according to Reuters.