A joint operation by Interpol and the African Union’s police organization, Afripol, has resulted in the arrest of 37 suspected members of various terrorist groups across East Africa, Bloomberg reports.
The operation, which spanned November and December, targeted individuals allegedly linked to Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab.
The suspects were apprehended in eight countries throughout the region, including Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Somalia. According to an emailed statement from Interpol, the individuals are believed to be involved in a range of illicit activities supporting terrorism, including:
- Terrorism financing
- Radicalization and propaganda dissemination
- Bomb-making and the planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
The arrests come amidst ongoing regional security concerns. Al-Shabaab, a powerful militant group with ties to al-Qaeda, controls large portions of territory in Somalia, where it has been battling a United Nations-backed force for nearly two decades. Meanwhile, in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have been carrying out sporadic attacks.
