Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: 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.
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, uncovering around $ 260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies potentially linked to terrorism-related activities. Approximately $ 600,000 has already been seized, with additional investigations underway to trace and recover further assets.
Tackling terrorist financing is particularly complex for law enforcement, as it often cuts across diverse criminal activities, including fraud, kidnapping for ransom, illicit trade, online scams, Ponzi schemes and the misuse of virtual assets. These illegal activities can be linked to terrorism financing directly—when terrorist groups receive funds from such schemes—or indirectly, through money laundering or intermediary networks. These connections highlight how different forms of crime are increasingly intertwined, underscoring the need for a united and coordinated response.
Participating countries shared intelligence on significant targets at the preoperation phase. This was supplemented by strategic cyber intelligence from INTERPOL and AFRIPOL with key data from private-sector entities Binance, Moody’s and Uppsala Security.
In Angola, 25 individuals of multiple nationalities were detained following investigations into informal value transfer systems that were identified as connected to potential terrorist financing and money laundering. The operation included the inspection of 30 commercial establishments, where police seized approximately $ 588,000, 100 mobile phones and 40 computer
