INTERPOL Operation Uncovers 126 Foreign Terrorist Suspects

Nigeria was among 11 countries that participated in an international counter-terrorism operation in which artificial intelligence was used to identify 126 suspected foreign terrorist fighters from more than 108,000 facial images extracted from jihadist content online.

The operation, codenamed “Operation Shams II”, was coordinated by the International Criminal Police Organisation, popularly known as INTERPOL and held in Tunis, Tunisia, from June 1 to 5, 2026.

Punch quoted an INTERPOL in a statement published on its official website yesterday that the operation brought together 28 specialised officers and experts from Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, the Philippines, Qatar, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Uzbekistan.

The international police organisation said the operation was designed to disrupt terrorist networks and their financing in the digital domain.