The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has arrested 11 suspected “high-level members of several terrorist groups” in Nigeria.
The arrests were part of a wider international operation called “Operation Catalyst,” carried out by Interpol and AFRIPOL across six African countries including Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Sudan.
In total, 83 suspects were arrested during the two-month crackdown, which focused on tracking terrorism financing and related illegal activities.
In a statement, Interpol said they screened more than 15,000 individuals and organizations during the operation.
The Interpol said the operation uncovered $260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies “potentially linked to terrorism-related activities” adding that over $600,000 has been 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 one significant case from Angola, 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.
“The operation included the inspection of 30 commercial establishments, where police seized approximately USD 588,000, 100 mobile phones and 40 computers. Sixty bank accounts were also frozen.
“In Kenya, a suspected money laundering operation using a virtual asset service provider was identified as having potential links to terrorism financing.
“The scheme, worth approximately USD 430,000, involved 12 people, two of whom have so far been arrested.
“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.
“In Nigeria, the operation led to the arrest of 11 suspected terrorists, including high-level members of several terrorist groups.
“One notable transnational case involved a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme, which claimed to be a legitimate online trading platform, affected at least 17 countries around the world, 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.
“The investigations related to Operation Catalyst found that several large-valued wallets were potentially linked to terrorism financing activities. The case is still ongoing, with investigations currently in progress.”
KanyiDaily recalls that Interpol also arrested a Nigerian man Ikechukwu N. for allegedly running several romance scams that targeted thousands of women.
