The Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) has announced the arrest of 82 individuals suspected of being members of the Islamic State (ISIS), allegedly recruited to carry out terrorist activities within Ethiopia.
In a statement released Tuesday through state media, NISS said the arrests followed a series of investigations into the operations of the Somalia-based wing of ISIS, headquartered in Punt land.
The agency noted that it had gathered substantial evidence indicating the group’s growing presence and activities in Ethiopia and other countries in the region.
According to the statement, the Somalia branch of ISIS has reached a level that poses a serious threat to Ethiopia’s national security.
The security operation, carried out in coordination with the Federal Police and regional security forces, resulted in the apprehension of the suspects, who were reportedly trained in Punt land and dispatched to various parts of Ethiopia, the statement said.
The statement further noted that ISIS has been exploiting religious institutions and symbols as a cover for its operations to disseminate extremist ideology, recruit vulnerable individuals, and destabilize communities.
The arrests were carried out across multiple locations, including Addis Ababa; Sheger City, Adama, Haromaya, Shashemene, Bale, Jimma, and Shakiso in the Oromia Region; Kemissie in the Amhara Region; Silte Zone and Halaba Kulito in the Central Ethiopia Region; Jigjiga in the Somali Region; and the Harari Region, it said.
