362 Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos Núm. 1 / 2013 obtained money from forging documents and credit cards)30. 8. Others. Together with the crimes described, there is evidence that proves participation in some cyber-crime operations. For example, while the same jihadists arrested in the United Kingdom in 2007 were carrying on the operation mentioned above, they made use of betting web sites to launder party of the money that had been extracted from stolen credit cards. These same individuals used those particular cards, and several sets of numbers stolen from bank accounts, in order to buy internet services and to create virtual networks that could be used by jihadists all over the world as a means of exchanging information, recruiting militants and planning attacks31. 3.2 Hybrid blending or transformation: from terrorism to organised crime When their involvement in illegal businesses and operations becomes something that recurs or is systematic, and numerous lines of revenue are produced, the possibility arises that the terrorists can raise the value attributed to these illegal practices, to the point of taking on the economic motivation that is characteristic of organised criminality. This change can be substantiated on two levels: the first one entails the group or organisation evolving towards a hybrid structure, halfway between terrorism and organised criminality. The second one, on the other hand, entails the transforming of a terrorist network into a mere criminal organisation, preferably one that is geared towards the accumulation of economic profits. The pattern followed in this second option usually involves the original ideological facade being maintained, which makes it hard to distinguish these cases from the previous ones. Amongst those people involved who have maintained some link with the worldwide jihadist movement, there are few that have followed this path; and yet we are not short of some illustrative examples, whose names have already appeared in these pages. There is no doubt that Abu Sayyaf is one of these. In spite of having come from the most radical wing of a separatist Muslim movement, following the death of its first leader Abdurajak Janjalani, in 1998, this Philippine organisation initiated a new phase that was focused on kidnapping and collecting ransoms, as well as becoming involved in some drug trafficking and money forging operations.32. This change would lead to most of the analysts making reference to the transformation of Abu Sayyaf into a 30 PASSAS, Nikos and GIMÉNEZ-SALINAS, Andrea. “La financiación del terrorismo de Al Qaida: Mitos y Realidades” The financing of Al Qaida terrorism: Myths and Realities, Revista de Derecho Penal y Criminología Magazine of Criminal Law and Criminology, nº 19, 2007, pp. 493-521. 31 KREBS, Brian, op. cit. 32 SCHLOSS, Glen. “Cutting terrorist´s cashflow”, South China Morning Post, 28/11/2001. Disponible en: http://www.scmp.com/article/358875/cutting-terrors-cashflow; WANNENBURG, Gail, op. cit.
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