INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock has highlighted the role effective information sharing and border management can play via the world police body’s global network against the global threat of foreign terrorist fighters.
Addressing a ministerial session during the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, the INTERPOL Chief said that while the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters had reached an ‘unprecedented’ scale, INTERPOL’s decade-long experience in this area showed that ‘secure, tailored information sharing is both possible and effective against this threat’.
“Information sharing and intelligence analysis represent strong tripwires at the frontlines against foreign terrorist fighters,” added Mr Stock.
With UN Security Council Resolution 2178 identifying INTERPOL as the ‘global law enforcement information sharing’ platform against foreign fighters, ministers heard that close to 40 countries have already provided information to INTERPOL on more than 1,500 suspected and confirmed fighters linked to Syria and Iraq. INTERPOL has shared resulting analysis on demographics, travel routes and tactics to support interdiction, while individuals flagged by INTERPOL alerts known as Diffusions or Notices can also be tracked and, where requested, arrested for extradition.
Foreign fighters may seek to travel with revoked passports, stolen or lost passports, or simply their own valid travel documents. In the first two cases, INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document database can make this information available at the frontlines. In cases where the individual’s valid passport information has been shared, INTERPOL global tools will generate hit alarms.
The ministerial session heard that through its secure information sharing network, INTERPOL stands ready to work closely with all countries to further help strengthen their lines of defense and their systematic use of INTERPOL databases, and implement joint, pragmatic solutions against foreign terrorist fighters.
