Wednesday July 16, 2025
FILE — Abdulqadir Mumin (center), the suspected leader of the Islamic State group’s Somalia affiliate, appears alongside armed fighters in a propaganda video released by ISIS’s Furat Media. Ethiopian authorities say operatives trained under Mumin’s command in Puntland were arrested while attempting to establish sleeper cells across Ethiopia.
Mogadishu (HOL) — Ethiopian security forces have arrested 82 individuals accused of plotting terror attacks on behalf of the Islamic State group (ISIS), in what authorities describe as a major operation to disrupt a growing militant network inside the country.
The suspects, all Ethiopian nationals, were apprehended in coordinated raids across 14 cities and towns, including Addis Ababa, Harar, Jigjiga, and Jimma, according to a statement Wednesday by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).
Intelligence officials say the group is affiliated with ISIS’s Puntland branch in northeastern Somalia. The suspects allegedly received military training in Puntland before being dispatched to Ethiopia with orders to conduct coordinated bombings, incite unrest, and establish secret recruitment hubs.
NISS said evidence recovered during the arrests links the suspects to international extremist networks that provided financial support, logistics, and intelligence to facilitate the planned attacks.
Authorities also reported that the group had used religious institutions and symbols as cover to spread extremist ideology. NISS said the operatives sought to exploit places of worship to radicalize vulnerable individuals, recruit new members, and sow division within communities.
“This network was attempting to expand ISIS’s operational presence inside Ethiopia by building hidden cells and recruiting new members,” the agency stated.
The arrests took place in the following locations: Addis Ababa, Shashamene, Adama, Harar, Bale, Jimma, Jigjiga, and Silte.
Security forces are continuing investigations, and authorities have warned that anyone found to be connected to extremist networks will face prosecution under Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism laws.
While ISIS’s footprint in the Horn of Africa remains relatively limited compared to al-Shabab, Ethiopian officials say the arrests highlight the group’s growing ambition to expand into new territories. Puntland’s rugged terrain has long provided a base for the group’s operations, and Ethiopian intelligence agencies have stepped up regional surveillance in response to the cross-border threat.
The sweeping operation marks one of the largest ISIS-related crackdowns in Ethiopia and underscores rising regional concerns about the group’s resurgence following global setbacks in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
