Interpol Arrests Most Wanted Criminals at Uganda- DRC Border

International Police (INTERPOL)and partner Police agencies in East and Central Africa conducted an operation in which several criminals were arrested.

The international security body, said on Thursday that its operation dubbed “Simba II” which was aimed at building sustainable counter terrorism skills and capabilities of its agents in the African region, also led to arrest of some world’s most wanted criminals.

This intelligence led operation was conducted in Democratic republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

“With terrorist activity often linked to a wide range of other crime areas, the objective of Operation Simba II was to boost front-line officers’ ability to recognize a traveller as a potential terrorist or criminal using INTERPOL’s wide range of policing capabilities installed at air and land border crossings,” said Interpol

According to the agency’s deputy director of counter terrorism Karel Pelán, from 15th -22nd  March, INTERPOL’s General Secretariat and Nairobi-based Regional CT Node (RCTN) for Eastern and Southern Africa coordinated action with national police, immigration, customs and CT units to detect criminals as they tried to cross borders.

He said that almost three million checks were carried out against INTERPOL databases over eight days which resulted in the detection of men and women wanted for serious crimes.

In DRC, authorities intercepted five INTERPOL-wanted people attempting to cross their borders, including one suspect wanted in Europe for serious regional organized crime.

Kenyan authorities flagged one man as an INTERPOL Red Notice target, a global alert sent to police worldwide about internationally wanted fugitives. The suspect is wanted by a Central Asian country for serious fraud crime.

Access to INTERPOL databases at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport enabled front-line officers there to detect a man originally from Asia and wanted by a country in the Middle East for financial crime.  Tailored INTERPOL systems linking national and global systems at border control signaled the man as the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice, triggering associated investigations in several countries.

Inquiries in Tanzania also pinpointed the arrival of a Red Notice subject wanted in relation to fraud and identity theft.

 

Me Pelán revealed that further arrests and prosecutions are foreseen as ongoing investigations unfold.

“The results of INTERPOL’s first RCTN-led operation in the region clearly illustrate the security benefits of decentralizing CT efforts into the field,” said, Pelán.

“By placing our experts at the heart of our member countries, INTERPOL helps improve regional police cooperation and provides hands-on CT support in our priority regions,” added Mr Pelán.