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Afripol Announces 37 Arrests In East African Terrorism Sweep

In a sweeping operation that covered multiple East African countries, Afripol recently announced the arrest of 37 terrorism suspects and the destruction of weapons, including a missile and antitank armaments. The operation in November and December 2024 netted members of the Islamic State group (IS) and al-Shabaab, along with other foreign fighters. Working with Interpol, Afripol authorities made arrests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. In the DRC, police arrested four alleged members of the Allied Democratic Forces and two associates. They also captured and destroyed a missile and antitank device abandoned by terrorists. In Kenya, authorities arrested 17 people, including two suspected IS members, several foreign fighters, and more people involved in terrorism financing, radicalization and propaganda. In Somalia, authorities arrested three people, including a suspected bombmaker for an intelligence unit of al-Shabaab, who had been planting improvised explosive devices to target law enforcement officers and Soldiers. Another suspect was an al-Shabaab operative believed to have attacked several police checkpoints with hand grenades. In Tanzania, police arrested an alleged member of IS-Mozambique and a Ugandan national who tried to join a terrorist group in Mozambique. In addition to the countries where arrests were made, Afripol worked with law enforcement authorities in Djibouti, Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda to capture the terrorism suspects. The arrests were part of a five-day border security operation that used Interpol databases to search for people suspected of major crimes, including fraud, money laundering and robbery. Jalel Chelba, acting executive director of Afripol, praised the international cooperation that enabled African law enforcement to take terrorists and organized crime operators off the streets. “Tackling terrorism and organized crime demands a unified and forward-thinking strategy that addresses both immediate risks and the deeper vulnerabilities that enable them,” Chelba said in a statement. “This operation highlights the critical role of international cooperation and the exchange of intelligence in disrupting criminal networks and curbing their reach.” Authorities said East Africa’s porous borders, political instability and economic challenges create a favorable environment for terrorism. “These positive results demonstrate the power of international collaboration in the fight against terrorism,” Cyril Gout, Interpol’s acting executive director of police services, said in a statement. The East African counterterrorism operation came after a separate joint Afripol-Interpol investigation in September and October 2024 that resulted in the arrests of more than 1,000 people suspected of cybercrimes across 19 Sub-Saharan countries. Operation Serengeti broke up more than 134,000 scam operations that had stolen more than $193 million from victims worldwide. About the same time as Operation Serengeti, Afripol and Interpol worked with 12 Nigerian law enforcement agencies in Operation Eagles’ Nest to arrest 36 people involved in cybercrime and seized $3 million in illegal drugs, ammunition and vehicles. The Nigerian operation focused on several types of online scams, including: “Romance baiting,” in which scammers cultivate online relationships to manipulate victims into investing or giving them money. Investment and cryptocurrency scams, in which scammers lure victims through fictitious financial schemes. Celebrity scams, in which scammers impersonate famous figures to steal money from fans. “This landmark initiative in Nigeria not only strengthens national capacities but also exemplifies the collective resolve of African member states to combat evolving criminal threats,” Chelba said in a statement about the arrests.