REVEALED: How Interpol Nabbed 17 Terrorist Suspects In Kenya After 2-Month Operation
An international counter-terrorism operation in East Africa resulted in the arrest of 37 people and the confiscation of both small guns and big weaponry.
Of those arrested, 17 were apprehended in Kenya.
According to Interpol, those arrested include alleged ISIS and al Shabaab militants, as well as some international terrorist combatants.
According to the announcement, arrests were made in eight East African countries during November and December 2024 as part of a joint Interpol and AFRIPOL operation.
The operation’s goals included identifying and apprehending terrorist suspects, as well as bolstering crucial border measures.
An international counter-terrorism operation in East Africa has led to the arrest of 37 suspects and the seizure of both small arms and heavy weapons. Those arrested include suspected members of ISIS, Al Shabaab and several foreign terrorist fighters.
— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) January 27, 2025
➡️🔗https://t.co/t60c94kUmr pic.twitter.com/aJTZ8XEOKJ
“In Kenya, police arrested 17 people including two suspected ISIS members, several foreign terrorist fighters and others involved in terrorism financing, radicalization and propaganda,” the statement said.
Kenya has already been the subject of terror, which has killed tens of thousands of people and injured many more.
Last year, Kenya reported that terrorism and overall crime cases had decreased across the country as a result of coordination between local and international security authorities.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who previously served as interim cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, stated that 27 terrorist attacks in Kenya were foiled between January 2022 and November 2024.
“During this period several terrorists have been neutralized. The government has also pushed for 11 successful convictions. Our success came through collaboration with international agencies,” Mudavadi told journalists in Nairobi.
“Noteworthy, our success also came through collaborations with other international agencies to thwart crime through training and equipment support,” he added.
In the Interpol operation, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo apprehended four accused Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) members and two associates.
Forces also captured and destroyed a missile and anti-tank device left by suspected terrorists.
In Somalia, officials apprehended three people, including a suspected bomb maker for an Amniyaat unit of Al-Shabaab who had been planting Improvised Explosive Devices against law enforcement and the military.
Another of the captured individuals was an Al Shabaab member suspected of attacking several police checkpoints with hand grenades.
Tanzanian authorities apprehended an accused member of ISIS Mozambique, as well as a Ugandan person intending to join a terrorist group in Mozambique as a foreign terrorist combatant.
Prior to the operation, each participating country developed an operational plan, gathering intelligence on terror-related targets, including individuals and their known locations.
Interpol and AFRIPOL consolidated and analyzed this material, which they then shared with all member countries, allowing for a considerable interchange of criminal intelligence.
In the tactical phase of the operation, each country conducted strategic investigations and raids.
Police received on-the-ground assistance from INTERPOL and AFRIPOL officials, who offered coordination, logistics, and real-time data analysis.
Cyril Gout, INTERPOL’s Acting Executive Director of Police Services, stated that East Africa’s complicated landscape, characterized by political instability, porous borders, and socioeconomic issues, continues to foster terrorist activity.
“As these groups seek to expand their reach beyond traditional areas of operation, it is essential that law enforcement agencies work together to stay ahead of these evolving threats,” Gout said.
“These positive results demonstrate the power of international collaboration in the fight against terrorism.”
Ambassador Jalel Chelba, Acting Executive Director of AFRIPOL, stated that combating terrorism and organized crime demands a comprehensive and forward-thinking policy that targets both current threats and the deeper vulnerabilities that enable them.
“This operation highlights the critical role of international cooperation and the exchange of intelligence in disrupting criminal networks and curbing their reach,” stated Chelba.
“AFRIPOL is dedicated to supporting Member States, enhancing regional partnerships, and fostering resilience to promote lasting safety and stability across Africa.”
To improve border security, frontline personnel at land, air, and port border crossings were trained and provided with Interpol Mobile Devices (IMDs), which provide real-time access to Interpol databases.
These include personal and criminal history information, as well as details on around 135,000 foreign terrorist fighters.
Furthermore, it contained millions of data of lost and stolen travel documents, which are an important asset for terrorist movement.
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During the five-day border security operation, more than 88,000 checks against Interpol databases were conducted.
This resulted in the identification of 15 individuals under notices and Diffusions for crimes like as fraud, rape, murder, armed robbery, money laundering, and crimes against children.
Overall, increased border controls resulted in 32 arrests for a wide range of crimes.
The successful cooperation between eight countries, Interpol, and AFRIPOL underscores the significance of a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism, which remains a major concern.
REVEALED: How Interpol Nabbed 17 Terrorist Suspects In Kenya After 2-Month Operation
