The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), in collaboration with the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), has successfully concluded ‘Operation Catalyst,’ a two-month initiative aimed at dismantling terrorist financing networks and related illicit activities across six African nations, Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Sudan. The operation rigorously scrutinized more than 15,000 individuals and entities, leading to multiple arrests and major financial discoveries.

Operation Catalyst resulted in 83 arrests across the participating countries. A detailed breakdown revealed that 21 arrests were directly linked to terrorism-related crimes, 28 were for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 involved cyber-enabled scams, and 18 were connected to the illicit use of virtual assets. This comprehensive approach underscores the complex nature of financial crimes often intertwined with terrorism operations.

Financially, Interpol uncovered approximately $260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies suspected to be tied to terrorism-related activities. Additionally, over $600,000 in physical cash was seized during the operation. These figures highlight the significant financial infrastructure supporting illicit operations that Operation Catalyst sought to dismantle.

Several notable cases emerged during the operation. In Angola, investigations into informal value transfer systems suspected of facilitating terrorist financing and money laundering led to the detention of 25 individuals of multiple nationalities. Authorities seized approximately $588,000, alongside 100 mobile phones, 40 computers, and the freezing of 60 bank accounts, a testament to the depth of financial investigation involved.

In Kenya, a suspected money laundering operation using a virtual asset service provider, potentially linked to terrorist financing and valued at approximately $430,000, was identified, leading to the arrest of two individuals. In a separate case, two suspects were arrested for online recruitment of young people from East and North Africa into terrorist groups. The funds used for this radicalisation and recruitment were traced through a cryptocurrency trading platform to individuals residing in Tanzania.

Nigeria played a crucial role in the operation, with the arrest of 11 suspected high-level members of various terrorist groups. This effort comes as the country continues to battle the persistent threat of Boko Haram, a conflict that has caused immense human suffering and strained the nation’s criminal justice system. The arrests mark a targeted strike against extremist leadership networks within Nigeria.

A major transnational discovery during Operation Catalyst was the exposure of a massive cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme, masquerading as a legitimate online trading platform. The scheme affected over 100,000 victims across at least 17 countries, including Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria, with estimated losses totaling $562 million. Investigations revealed large-value cryptocurrency wallets potentially linked to terrorism financing, illustrating the sophisticated financial methods used by extremist groups to generate and move illicit funds.

The global investigation into this complex network of financial crime and terrorism remains ongoing, marking one of the most coordinated and impactful operations against terror financing in recent years.