An international counter-terrorism operation in East Africa led to the arrest of 37 suspects and the seizure of both small arms and heavy weapons.
Of those arrested, 17 were nabbed in Kenya.
Those arrested include suspected members of ISIS, al Shabaab and several foreign terrorist fighters, the Interpol said.
A statement said arrests were made across eight East African countries during a joint Interpol and AFRIPOL operation between November and December 2024 aimed at identifying and arresting suspects with links to terrorism and strengthening key border controls.
“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 been a victim of terror in the past which has left tens of people dead and many others wounded.
Last year Kenya said that terrorism and overall crime cases had fallen across the country in the recent past, thanks to collaboration between local and international security agencies.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who was acting cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said 27 terrorist attacks have been thwarted between January 2022 and November 2024 across Kenya.
"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, police in the Democratic Republic of Congo arrested four alleged members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and two associates.
Forces also seized and destroyed a missile and anti-tank device abandoned by suspected terrorists.
In Somalia, authorities arrested three people, 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.
Another of the detained suspects was an Al Shabaab operative who is believed to have attacked several police checkpoints with hand grenades.
Law enforcement in Tanzania arrested an alleged member of ISIS Mozambique, as well as a Ugandan national who was attempting to join a terrorist group in Mozambique as a foreign terrorist fighter.
Prior to 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 analysed 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.
Cyril Gout, INTERPOL’s Acting Executive Director of Police Services, said East Africa’s complex landscape, marked by political instability, porous borders, and socioeconomic challenges, continues to provide an environment conducive to 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. These positive results demonstrate the power of international collaboration in the fight against terrorism.”
Ambassador Jalel Chelba, Acting Executive Director of AFRIPOL, said tackling terrorism and organized crime demands a unified and forward-thinking strategy that addresses both immediate risks 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. AFRIPOL is dedicated to supporting Member States, enhancing regional partnerships, and fostering resilience to promote lasting safety and stability across Africa.”
To bolster border security, frontline officers at land, air and port border points were trained and equipped with Interpol Mobile Devices (IMDs), giving them real-time access to Interpol’s databases.
These contain personal and criminal history information in addition to details of around 135,000 foreign terrorist fighters, as well as millions of records of lost and stolen travel documents, which are a key asset for terrorist mobility.
Over the course of the five-day border security operation, more than 88,000 checks were made against Interpol databases, resulting in the detection of 15 individuals subject to notices and Diffusions related to crimes such as fraud, rape, murder, armed robbery, money laundering and crimes against children.
Overall, the reinforced border controls led to 32 arrests for a broad range of crimes.
The successful cooperation between eight countries, Interpol and AFRIPOL highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism, a threat that remains a major concern for the safety and security of the region.
