Thursday, October 23,
2025 - INTERPOL has announced the arrest of 83 individuals across six
African countries in a sweeping operation targeting terrorism financing, money
laundering and cyber-enabled financial crimes.
The crackdown, dubbed Operation Catalyst, took place
between July and September 2025 and marked the first coordinated effort of its
kind involving INTERPOL, AFRIPOL, and national law enforcement agencies.
In a statement released on Wednesday, October 22nd,
INTERPOL confirmed that the operation led to the identification of 160 persons
of interest and disrupted multiple illicit financial networks.
Of the 83 arrests, 21 were linked to terrorism-related
activities, 28 to financial fraud and money laundering, 16 to cyber scams and
18 to the misuse of virtual assets.
Kenya was among the countries where significant
breakthroughs were made.
Authorities uncovered a suspected money laundering scheme
involving a virtual asset service provider, with potential ties to terrorism
financing.
The operation, valued at approximately USD 430,000, led to
two arrests out of 12 suspects.
In a separate case, two individuals were apprehended for
recruiting youth from East and North Africa into terrorist groups using
cryptocurrency platforms.
The funds were traced back to individuals in Tanzania.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza praised the
operation as a milestone in cross-border collaboration.
"Operation
Catalyst is the first time, financial crime, cybercrime and counter-terrorism
units from multiple African countries have joined forces with INTERPOL and
AFRIPOL to target the financing of terrorism.”
"By
sharing intelligence, expertise and resources, we can more effectively identify
and disrupt the financial flows that support terrorist activities to stay one
step ahead of these threats and keep our communities safe," he said.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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