Eighty-three arrests have been made across six African countries, with the identification of 160 persons of interest in a first-of-its-kind operation targeting terrorism financing and the illegal activity supporting it.
The news was posted on X handle by the International Police (INTERPOL).
Of the 83 arrests, 21 were said to be for terrorism-related crimes, 28 for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 linked to cyber-enabled scams and 18 related to the illicit use of virtual assets.
Operation Catalyst, carried out between July and September 2025, and jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL, aimed to identify and disrupt financial flows and schemes found to have connections to terrorism financing and its support networks.
Authorities across participating countries screened more than 15,000 persons of interest and entities, uncovering around USD 260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies potentially linked to terrorism-related activities.
Approximately USD 600,000 has already been seized, with additional investigations underway to trace and recover further assets.
