Interpol arrests 11 suspected terrorists in Nigeria during Africa-wide operation
The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has arrested 11 suspected “high-level members of several terrorist groups” in Nigeria.
The arrests were made as part of Operation Catalyst, a joint two-month initiative by Interpol and AFRIPOL across six African countries — Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Sudan.
In a statement, Interpol said the operation focused on “terrorism financing and the illegal activity supporting it”, adding that it reviewed more than 15,000 persons of interest and entities.
The organisation revealed that the operation uncovered $260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies “potentially linked to terrorism-related activities”, with over $600,000 already seized.
“Of the 83 arrests, 21 were for terrorism-related crimes, 28 were for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 were linked to cyber-enabled scams and a further 18 were related to the illicit use of virtual assets,” the statement reads.
In Angola, Interpol said 25 individuals of multiple nationalities were detained “following investigations into informal value transfer systems that were identified as connected to potential terrorist financing and money laundering.” About $588,000, 100 mobile phones, and 40 computers were seized, while 60 bank accounts were frozen.
In Kenya, a suspected money laundering operation worth about $430,000 “using a virtual asset service provider was identified as having potential links to terrorism financing.” Two people have so far been arrested in connection with the case.
“In a separate case in Kenya, two individuals were arrested for the online recruitment of young people from East and North Africa into terrorist groups. The funds used for the recruitment and radicalization were traced through a cryptocurrency trading platform, back to individuals in Tanzania,” Interpol added.
“In Nigeria, the operation led to the arrest of 11 suspected terrorists, including high-level members of several terrorist groups.”
Interpol also uncovered “a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme, which claimed to be a legitimate online trading platform,” and affected at least 17 countries, including Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria.
“The scheme accumulated more than 100,000 victims around the world, with an estimated loss to victims of USD 562 million,” it said, noting that several large cryptocurrency wallets “were potentially linked to terrorism financing activities.”
“The case is still ongoing, with investigations currently in progress,” Interpol added.