The owner of a hair salon in Hospitalet has been arrested for participating in the financing of Hamas.

BarcelonaThe En Bin-Salon hair salon is located on Enric Prat de la Riba street in Hospitalet de Llobregat. They offer barber services, as well as nail styling, eyelash extensions, and makeup. Next to the main sign are smaller letters in Chinese: 阿彬形象设计. This essentially means they do all kinds of "styling." Some customers criticize the salon for being dirty and for their insistence on cash payments. This Tuesday, the owner was led out of the salon in handcuffs. He is a 38-year-old man of Chinese origin who was arrested by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) for allegedly participating in the financing of the terrorist organization Hamas, based in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement released by the Catalan police.

Specifically, the Mossos d'Esquadra investigation has confirmed that the man made 31 money transfers to various addresses linked to an entity that, according to the police, Hamas used for financing. These transfers were made using cryptocurrencies, and the total amount of all the transfers reached 600,000 euros. At the moment, it is unclear where the money was going and which branch of Hamas was receiving it. In fact, according to sources consulted by ARA, the investigation is still ongoing and is currently focused on this aspect: tracing the money to determine its origin and exactly how it was spent. Computer equipment seized from the accused will be key to clarifying the matter.

According to information obtained by this newspaper, the arrested man is not radicalized. That is, he is being investigated more as a facilitator of money laundering and Hamas's financial transactions than as a member of the organization. The case is being handled by the National Court and remains open under seal. According to sources at the National Court, after appearing before the judge, the man was released on bail. However, his passport was confiscated, and he must appear in court weekly.

The investigation began in June 2025 following a case that had little connection to terrorism. In an investigation into fraud and money laundering, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) came across this man who runs a hair salon in L'Hospitalet. They then discovered that he was sending cryptocurrencies to several addresses linked to an entity that Hamas allegedly used for financing. According to police sources, this is a pioneering investigation for the Catalan police, as it is the first operation carried out by the General Information Commissariat—responsible for counterterrorism—into the financing of terrorism with cryptocurrencies.

All the money is frozen.

On Tuesday, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) arrested the suspect and, with judicial authorization, carried out two search warrants at his home and hair salon. Officers seized over €100,000 in cash, luxury jewelry, around 9,000 cigars, computer equipment, and two firearms. They also froze cryptocurrencies and several bank accounts linked to the detainee. In total, the value of all the seized and frozen assets exceeds €370,000. A month ago, Italian authorities also arrested nine people for allegedly attempting to finance Hamas. At that time, they seized €8 million and accused those arrested of being members of the terrorist organization. Italian police also specified that the money was intended for criminal activities. In the Hospitalet case, the investigation pointed more to an intermediary involved in money laundering—one of the main activities of the Chinese mafia. In fact, it is becoming increasingly common for organized groups to turn to these Asian-origin mafias to move their money.