The INTERPOL AI operation has identified 126 suspected foreign terrorist fighters from more than 108,000 facial images, with Nigeria among the countries that participated.
The operation, known as Operation Shams II, was coordinated by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and held in Tunis, Tunisia, from June 1 to 5, 2026. It brought together 28 specialised officers and experts from 11 countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Iraq, Malaysia and Tunisia.
INTERPOL AI Operation Identifies 126 Suspects
According to INTERPOL, law enforcement officers extracted 108,076 facial images from visual content published online by jihadist groups during the operation.
AI agents and specially developed scripts were then used to assist with the collection and processing of the images. The technology helped remove duplicate images and check their quality, reducing the dataset to 6,362 unique, high-quality facial images.
Officers then processed the images through INTERPOL’s Facial Recognition System. However, INTERPOL said trained personnel reviewed all AI-generated results before accepting them.
Trained officers and analysts examined and verified the results in line with INTERPOL’s rules for processing data.
Suspect Data Added to INTERPOL Databases
INTERPOL said officers have so far identified 126 Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) from the images processed during Operation Shams II.
The resulting matches could give authorities more intelligence on the suspects. This includes information about their potential locations and social networks.
Authorities are adding the information to INTERPOL databases. It will support efforts to detect, track and disrupt the movement of suspected terrorists across borders.
The organisation said investigative leads from the operation are already supporting judicial proceedings in participating countries. One case involves two suspected foreign terrorist fighters currently held by authorities.
INTERPOL said officers still need to process thousands of additional images, which could produce further investigative leads.
The operation also used cryptocurrency-tracing tools to investigate terrorist financing. This resulted in three urgent requests for customer information from a virtual asset service provider.
