INTERPOL, AFRIPOL Crack Down on Africa Terror Finance

Global Operation Targets Terrorism Financing Networks

LYON, France — A large-scale counter-terrorism financing effort across Africa has led to 83 arrests and the exposure of $260 million in suspicious transactions, marking a major success for INTERPOL and AFRIPOL under Operation Catalyst.

Conducted between July and September 2025, the operation targeted money laundering, cyber-enabled fraud, and the illicit use of virtual assets tied to terrorist networks. Authorities from six African nations coordinated closely, screening more than 15,000 entities and individuals.

Of those arrested, 21 face terrorism-related charges, while 28 were apprehended for financial fraud and money laundering. Investigators also discovered 16 cases linked to online scams and 18 tied to illegal virtual asset transactions. Nearly $600,000 has already been seized, with further recoveries expected as inquiries continue.

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza hailed the unprecedented collaboration, saying the coordinated approach between counter-terrorism, financial crime, and cyber units represented “a breakthrough in disrupting the financial lifelines of terrorist operations.”

Africas Coordinated Push Against Illicit Financial Flows

The operation underscored a growing challenge for African law enforcement: the merging of terrorism financing with digital and financial fraud. Criminal activities such as Ponzi schemes, crypto scams, and illicit trade increasingly serve as gateways for terrorism funding.

AFRIPOL Executive Director Ambassador Jalel Chelba highlighted the power of shared intelligence in confronting cross-border threats. “When national units converge on a single goal, Africas law enforcement shows its capacity to deliver effective, sustained responses to terrorism financing,” he said.

The campaign received key strategic support from private-sector data partners, including Binance, Moody‘s, and Uppsala Security, which collaborated with INTERPOL’s cyber intelligence teams to trace crypto-linked money trails.

High-Impact Cases and Global Links Revealed

Investigators detailed several prominent cases from the operation:

• In Angola, 25 individuals from various nationalities were detained for running an informal value transfer system connected to terror finance and money laundering. Police confiscated roughly $588,000 and froze 60 bank accounts.
• In Kenya, two major cases linked to crypto transactions were exposed — one involving a $430,000 laundering network and another targeting online radicalization and recruitment operations funded through virtual assets.
• In Nigeria, 11 alleged terrorists were arrested, including senior members of established groups operating in the region.

A particularly significant discovery involved a sprawling cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims across 17 countries and generated losses exceeding $562 million. Certain wallets tied to the scam were discovered to have connections to terrorism financing activities.

INTERPOL has also issued a Red Notice for a suspect believed to be behind a separate $5 million crypto fraud case, structured to disguise fund origins and channel resources into terror-linked operations.

Operation Catalyst represents a pivotal milestone in global cooperation against terrorism financing, reinforcing the necessity for intelligence-sharing and digital forensics in modern law enforcement.