INTERPOL: 11 ‘High-Level’ Terror Suspects Apprehended in Nigeria

The global policing body, INTERPOL, has confirmed the arrest of eleven suspected ‘high-level’ members of various terrorist groups operating in Nigeria, a significant part of a continent-wide operation targeting the financial infrastructure of terror.

Dependable NG reports that the arrests were executed during ‘Operation Catalyst,’ a two-month-long, first-of-its-kind initiative jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and the African Union’s specialized police body, AFRIPOL. This international effort, spanning six African nations including Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, and South Sudan, was specifically designed to identify and dismantle the financial flows that sustain terrorism.

The operation’s success in Nigeria saw authorities apprehend 11 individuals linked to multiple terror networks. Across the six participating countries, a total of 83 arrests were made. Of these, 21 were directly linked to terrorism-related crimes, underscoring the severity of the threat being tackled. The operation also targeted the complex web of criminal activities used to fund terror, resulting in 28 arrests for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 for cyber-enabled scams, and 18 for the illicit use of virtual assets.

Key to the operation was the identification of significant illicit funds. Authorities screened over 15,000 persons and entities, uncovering approximately $260 million in both conventional and virtual currencies that are potentially connected to terrorism. They have so far seized an initial amount of about $600,000, with further efforts underway to track and recover additional assets.

INTERPOL highlighted that the initiative exposed the increasing intersection between different forms of transnational crime, such as a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme that claimed over 100,000 victims globally and potentially linked several large-valued wallets to terrorism financing activities. The collaboration, which involved financial crime, cybercrime, and counter-terrorism units from the participating African nations, showcases a renewed, unified strategy to stay ahead of evolving security threats and safeguard communities across the continent.