INTERPOL Arrests 83 Across Six African Countries in $260M Terrorism Financing Crackdown

Operation Catalyst, a pioneering joint initiative by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL conducted from July to September 2025, targeted terrorism financing and related illegal activities across six African countries. The operation resulted in 83 arrests, including individuals charged with terrorism-related offenses, financial fraud, cyber-enabled scams, and illicit use of virtual assets, while screening over 15,000 persons and entities. Authorities uncovered approximately $260 million in fiat and virtual currencies potentially linked to terrorism, with around $600,000 seized to date and further investigations ongoing. The operation highlighted the complex links between terrorism financing and diverse criminal activities such as Ponzi schemes, online scams, and money laundering, emphasizing the necessity of a coordinated multi-agency response. Intelligence sharing before and during the operation, supported by private-sector data from Binance, Moody’s, and Uppsala Security, was key to its success. INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza noted this as the first collaborative effort integrating financial crime, cybercrime, and counter-terrorism units across multiple African nations to disrupt terrorism financing networks effectively.