The United States has imposed new sanctions on six people linked to Boko Haram who were working to establish a cell of the Nigerian extremist group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The six – Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad – were convicted by a UAE Federal Court of Appeals in Abu Dhabi. They were arrested after trying to send $782,000 from Dubai to Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Salihu Yusuf Adamu and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad were sentenced to life imprisonment for violations of UAE anti-terrorism laws, the U.S. Department of Treasury said in its statement. Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa and Ibrahim Ali Alhassan were sentenced to 10 years in prison, and then deportation.

“With this action, the United States joins the UAE in targeting terrorist financing networks of mutual concern,” said Brian Nelson, the Under Secretary of the Treasury in the U.S. “Treasury continues to target financial facilitators of terrorist activity worldwide.  We welcome multilateral action on this Boko Haram network to ensure that it is not able to move any further funds through the international financial system.”

The U.S. sanctions require that all property of the six, or any entity in which they directly or indirectly hold a controlling interest of 50% or more that is in the U.S., must be blocked and reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Image: U.S. Department of Treasury