Interpol
An international counter-terrorism operation in East Africa has resulted in the arrest of 37 suspects and the seizure of both small arms and heavy weapons.
In a statement on Monday, INTERPOL said those arrested include suspected members of ISIS, Al Shabaab, and several foreign terrorist fighters.
The international body noted the arrests were made during a joint INTERPOL and AFRIPOL operation between November and December 2024.
“Arrests were made across eight East African countries during a joint INTERPOL and AFRIPOL operation (November-December 2024) aimed at identifying and arresting suspects with links to terrorism and strengthening key border controls,” read the statement in part.
In Kenya, police arrested 17 people including two suspected ISIS members, several foreign terrorist fighters, and others involved in terrorism financing, radicalization, and propaganda.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, four alleged members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and two associates were arrested with Interpol seizing and destroying a missile and anti-tank device abandoned by suspected terrorists.
In Somalia three suspects were arrested, including a suspected bomb maker for an Amniyaat unit of Al-Shabaab who had been planting Improvised Explosive Devices, targeting law enforcement and the military.
One of the detained suspects was an Al Shabaab operative who is believed to have attacked several police checkpoints with hand grenades.
In Tanzania, police detained an alleged member of ISIS Mozambique and a Ugandan national who was attempting to join a terrorist group in Mozambique as a foreign fighter.
INTERPOL noted that before the operation each participating country prepared an operational plan, gathering intelligence on terror-related targets, including individuals and their known locations.
“INTERPOL and AFRIPOL consolidated and analyzed this information and shared it with all participating countries, facilitating a significant exchange of criminal intelligence.
“During the tactical phase of the operation each country carried out strategic investigations and raids. Police received on-the-ground support from INTERPOL and AFRIPOL officers, who provided coordination, logistics and real-time data analysis,” INTERPOL added.
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