Dash the dog sparks terror alert at US bank because of confusion over name

A man with muscular dystrophy has had a bank payment blocked in the US after officials issued an alert over his assistance dog's “terrorist” name.

Bruce Francis, who uses a wheelchair, relies on nine-year-old Dash and has been paying a dog walker to exercise the pitbull mix for several years.

But when he made the regular transfer with Chase Bank earlier this month, the dog's name was flagged for similarity with “Daesh”, the Arabic acronym for Isis being used by American politicians.

When the dog walker called Mr Francis 10 days later saying she had not received the payment, he found a note on his online account saying it was blocked pending a review by the US Treasury Department.

The official memo asked him to “explain what Dash means“, referring to the title he had put on the payment, the 55-year-old told the New York Daily News.

“I said, ‘Oh, so that’s what this is about,’” he said. “Last year, you didn’t hear John Kerry talking about Daesh, but now he is, and he pronounces it like ‘dash'.

“The idea that my dog is a terrorist is pretty funny. Seriously, the only thing Dash could terrorise is a roast chicken.”

The payment was processed after Mr Francis, from San Fransico, told the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that Dash was merely the name of his dog.

Despite the mix-up he said he supported the precautions being taken, adding that inconvenience was a "price I'm totally willing to pay" as efforts to combat terror networks continue.

Daesh is one of several names being used for the group calling itself the Islamic State, as well as Isis and Isil.

A spokesperson for Chase Bank said it had a list of terms from the OFAC that trigger automatic reviews.

“If a name on the OFAC list appears on a payment, we are required to review it,” he told KTVU television.

“This is an important part of ensuring that crime does not filter through the US banking system. In this instance, the payment was flagged, reviewed and eventually released.”

Cases of mistaken identity have made the headlines several times since the rise of Isis in 2014.

Nutella was criticised for refusing to personalise a jar for a five-year-old girl called Isis, while women and companies sharing the name have complained of discrimination.