AI operation uncovered 126 terror suspects – INTERPOL

An international counter-terrorism operation, known as "Operation Shams II," has identified 126 suspected foreign terrorist fighters using artificial intelligence. The operation, which took place in Tunis, Tunisia, involved 28 specialists from various countries including Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, the Philippines, Qatar, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan.

The initiative, part of the CT TECH+ Project funded by the European Union, processed over 108,000 facial images extracted from online jihadist content. AI agents automated data collection and investigative processes, reducing the dataset to 6,362 unique, high-quality facial images. These were processed through INTERPOL's facial recognition system.

INTERPOL confirmed that 126 Foreign Terrorist Fighters were identified from the images analyzed. The operation also deployed cryptocurrency-tracing tools to investigate terrorist financing, leading to three urgent requests to a Virtual Asset Service Provider. Participating countries engaged representatives of the online gaming industry to address youth radicalisation in virtual environments.

Interpol's Director of Counter-Terrorism, María Carmen Muñoz González, highlighted the success of Operation Shams II, demonstrating the value of international cooperation with responsible AI-assisted analysis. The model could serve as a benchmark for future operations against criminal networks.