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At least 128 terror suspects have been identified in an INTERPOL-led, first-of-its-kind operation to disrupt terrorist networks in the digital domain, including in Nigeria.
In a Friday statement, the global police body said Operation Shams II which ran from June 1 – 5, 2026, harnessed artificial intelligence to identify suspected terrorists.
Conducted under the CT TECH+ Project funded by the European Union’s Foreign Policy Instruments and supported by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the operation brought together 28 specialized officers and experts from 11 countries.
INTERPOL disclosed that during the five days of coordinated action, held in Tunis, Tunisia, law enforcement officers extracted 108,076 facial images from visual content published by jihadist groups.
It said programmed AI agents and advanced AI-generated scripts were used to automate parts of the data collection and investigative processes, enabling the system to deduplicate and quality-check the images.
“This narrowed the dataset to 6,362 unique, high-quality facial images ready for processing through INTERPOL’s Facial Recognition System.
“AI-generated output was subject to review and verification by trained officers and analysts in accordance with INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data.
“In addition to the images obtained from online platforms, officers from INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Baghdad, Iraq, provided a large intelligence dataset related to terrorism suspects, adding hundreds more images for extraction and processing.
“To date, 126 Foreign Terrorist Fighters have been identified from the images processed during Operation Shams II. These matches will enrich existing intelligence on suspects, including potential locations and social networks.
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“The data is now being integrated into INTERPOL’s databases, reinforcing global efforts to detect, track and disrupt terrorist movements worldwide,” the statement reads in part.
INTERPOL said investigative leads identified during the operation were already being used to support judicial procedures in participating countries, including one case targeting two currently detained suspected Foreign Terrorist Fighters suspects.
It noted that with thousands more images yet to be processed, further comparisons were ongoing and may identify additional leads.
Operation Shams II also employed cutting edge cryptocurrency tools to trace illicit funding, the global police body stated, which led to three urgent requests to a Virtual Asset Service Provider to disclose customer data, aimed at disrupting terrorist financing flows.
Beyond investigative activities, participating countries were said to have also met with representatives of the online gaming industry to address youth radicalization in online environments.
The engagement reportedly strengthened cross-sector cooperation and identified opportunities to improve information sharing.
INTERPOL’s Director of Counter-Terrorism, María Carmen Muñoz González said, “The success of Operation Shams II demonstrates the value of combining international law enforcement cooperation with responsible AI-assisted analytical capabilities. The operational model provides a strong foundation for supporting future international law enforcement cooperation targeting criminal actors around the world.”
Besides Nigeria, other participating countries include Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan.
