Dutch banks asked to help ferret out suspected jihadists

The Financial Intelligence Unit sent the four largest banks in the Netherlands a list containing the names of suspected jihadists, asking the banks to check for unusual transactions. The FIU, a government agency, hopes that this will reveal how terrorist and jihadist networks are funded, NU.nl reports.

If the FIU spots suspicious behavior in the information the banks send, the agency will inform the authorities. The police can only obtain bank details in an ongoing criminal investigation. But through the FIU, the police can get their hands on these details without anyone being officially indicted, according to NU.

NOS reports that the banks will also check suspected jihadists' relatives and associates for suspicious transactions.

Last year the FIU sent the authorities information 6,400 times. 182 of those cases involved a suspicion of funding terrorism.