A first-of-its-kind operation targeting terrorism financing and the illegal activity supporting it, has led to 83 arrests across six African countries and the identification of 160 persons of interest, according to INTERPOL.
Operation Catalyst (July – September 2025) aimed to identify and disrupt financial flows and schemes found to have connections to terrorism financing and its support networks.
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.
Over the two-month operation, jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL, authorities across participating countries screened more than 15,000 persons of interest and entities, uncov