Anwar Daadoue

Anwar Daadoue, also known as Abu Murad, was born in Edlib, Syria, on February 2, 1972. Daadoue also lived in Olbia, Sardinia, where he managed several construction companies before relocating to Sweden in 2014. The DIGOS investigation into Daadoue’s activities started with the arrest of Sultan Wali Khan, a Pakistani business associate of Daadoue living in Sardinia, who was charged but not convicted with terrorism participation. The investigation revealed that Daadoue was the mastermind and coordinator of the Gallura hawala network, which financed the terrorist association Jabhat al-Nusra. The money originated in Olbia and was sent to a representative office established in the Syrian city of Raqqa. In 2017, Daadoue was arrested at Bromma Stockholm Airport and charged with money laundering and terrorism financing.
In April 2015, Daadoue was ordered by Italian authorities a pre-trial detention. Together with Mustafa Chaddad, Abdulkarim Haj Osman, and Lahoucine Air Wahmane, he was accused of terrorism participation and terrorism financing. In particular, he was charged under articles 270 bis of the Italian Penal Code, and under Law 16 March 2006 no. 146 for having directed and organised a transnational association based in Italy, Sweden, Germany, Syria and Turkey with the aim of committing terrorist acts towards Syrian people, as well as of doing proselytism through the internet and financing towards the Syrian jihadist association Jabhat al-Nusra since 2014. Daadoue was also charged of terrorism financing through hawaladars in Italy, Sweden, Syria and Turney since 2014 and charged under art. art. 131-ter of D.Lgs 1 September 1993, n. 385; art. 11 of the D.Lgs 27 January 2010, and Law 16 March 2006, no. 146.
Court documents highlight Anwar Daadoue’s influential status within the Syrian community residing in Italy and, particularly in Sardinia, where he was known for his ability to move large sums of money in a short period of time to areas controlled by the Islamic State. Testimony from Mohamed Abdulmalek, a collaboratore di giustizia or pentito, revealed that Daadoue amassed wealth through his Sardinian construction businesses. Between 2012 and 2013, he relocated to Sweden, where he expanded his operations to hawala offices across Europe, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, and Ukraine. His network even included a hawala office in Raqqa, where he likely had the Islamic State’s approval to conduct business. He leveraged his capital in multiple countries to facilitate payments, often using trusted individuals like his wife, Seham, who acted as his secretary, and his brother, Mohamed Ali Daadoue, who was detained in Sweden in 2017 for having transported €70,000 commissioned by his brother. To show the extent of Daadoue’ business operation, Subhi Chdid, one of his business partners, disclosed that through Daadoue he funnelled up to €1 Mln to al-Nusra. Moreover, Daadoue’s funds supported al-Nusra in his native region in Syria, Idlib, where he had some real estate assets.
In Italy, Haj Osman was his right hand man, handling money through Olbia and receiving money from Wahmane and Mustafa Chadad. In one instance, in 2016, he personally transported funds to assist stranded Syrians at the Greek-Macedonian border, highlighting his hands-on role in these operations.
Daadoue’s network extended also to a terrorist cell in Erba (North of Italy), where Mulham Chaddad, Youssef Chaddad, and Mohamed Abdulmalek managed the immigration of Syrian people in 2014 and 2015 and contributed to Daadue’s hawala network. Daadoue’s operations with the Erba cell spanned from 2014 to 2016 and served as a local operational arm, handling money transfers and bypassing traditional banking channels. In 2014, Daadoue directed Ait Wahmane to bring €7,000 to Erba for Youssef Chaddad, who would then transfer it to Syria through Subhi Chdid.
Conversations from 2015 to 2016 confirm that Daadoue’s network used the informal hawala system to finance al-Nusra. In one exchange, Mustafa Chaddad instructed Haj Osman to prepare documents for individuals intending to return to Syria to join the fight. This step suggests a dual function in Daadoue’s network: not only was it involved in financing, but it also facilitated logistical support for recruits. In 2016, Mustafa Chaddad contacted Haj Osman to inquire if Daadoue could help raise funds in Europe for the fighters. The network managed to collect approximately €30,000, which was delivered to Daadoue through Haj Osman.
In 2018, Anwar Daadoue was arrested in Denmark but managed to escape from prison by swapping clothes with his brother. He was convicted by Italian Tribunal in the first and second instances, and in March 2024, the Court of Cassation confirmed the previous sentence for the crimes of terrorist association and terrorist financing, sentencing Daadoue to 8 years in prison. Daadoue, however, remains a fugitive.