Archive · 18 Sep 2026
INTERPOL’s AI Operation Identifies 126 Foreign Terrorist Fighters
INTERPOL ran a five-day operation to find people connected to terrorist groups.
The operation took place in Tunis, Tunisia, from June 1 to 5.
Officers from 11 countries worked together.
They collected more than 108,000 facial images from online videos and other visual material.
AI helped remove duplicate images and check their quality.
This left 6,362 useful images for further comparison.
Trained officers reviewed the AI’s work.
So far, the operation has identified 126 foreign terrorist fighters, and more results may follow.
INTERPOL identified 126 foreign terrorist fighters during the five-day Operation Shams-II.
The operation ran from June 1 to 5 in Tunis, Tunisia, involving 28 officers and experts from 11 countries.
Investigators extracted 108,076 facial images from visual material published by jihadist groups.
AI tools narrowed the material to 6,362 unique, high-quality images for processing through INTERPOL’s Facial Recognition System.
The identified matches will be added to INTERPOL databases, while thousands of additional images remain under review.
- Who
- INTERPOL and 28 specialized officers and experts from 11 countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Qatar, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Uzbekistan.
- What
- Operation Shams-II used AI-assisted analysis and facial recognition to identify 126 foreign terrorist fighters from online visual material.
- When
- June 1 to 5; the articles do not specify a year.
- Where
- Tunis, Tunisia, with data being integrated into INTERPOL’s databases.
- Why
- To identify suspects, strengthen intelligence about their locations and social networks, and support efforts to detect, track and disrupt terrorist movements.
- Operation
- Shams-II
- Duration
- Five days, from June 1 to 5
- Location
- Tunis, Tunisia
- Participants
- 28 specialized officers and experts from 11 countries
- Images extracted
- 108,076 facial images
- Images retained for processing
- 6,362 unique, high-quality facial images
- Identifications
- 126 foreign terrorist fighters identified so far