TROOPS have arrested a suspected foreign Islamic State (ISIS) operative believed to be an Arab of Moroccan origin in Cross Kauwa, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
News Point Nigeria gathered from security sources that the suspect was apprehended after troops successfully repelled a coordinated terrorist assault on Cross Kauwa, forcing the insurgents to abandon equipment and flee the area.
According to the sources, troops immediately launched exploitation operations after the attack, extending search and pursuit missions along the withdrawal routes used by the terrorists.
“During the exploitation exercise conducted on Monday, troops recovered additional operational materials believed to have been abandoned during the insurgents’ hasty withdrawal,” a security source said.
The source disclosed that among the items recovered were high-frequency hand-held radios and other communication equipment considered critical to the command-and-control structure of the terrorist group.
“According to the sources, intelligence gathered from the recovered materials enabled troops to expand the pursuit deep into the Lake Chad Islands axis, extending operations towards Abadam Local Government Area,” the source added.
The operation, security officials said, eventually led to the arrest of a fleeing foreign suspect believed to be an Arab of Moroccan origin with suspected links to the Islamic State.
Military sources further disclosed that the suspect had previously come under intelligence scrutiny following forensic exploitation jointly carried out with international partners on video footage extracted from a camcorder recovered after the Cross Kauwa encounter.
According to the sources, the camcorder belonged to a terrorist cameraman who was killed during the failed assault on Cross Kauwa.
The source explained that extremist groups frequently deploy media operatives alongside assault teams to document attacks for propaganda, recruitment and operational assessments.
Investigators were said to have identified the foreign suspect through footage recovered from the camcorder.
Following his arrest, the suspect was airlifted by the Nigerian Air Force to a secure military facility, where he is currently undergoing interrogation and intelligence exploitation.
Military authorities are expected to investigate the suspect’s exact role within the terrorist organisation, how he entered Nigeria, his connections to ISIS’ transnational network and any possible involvement in training, operational planning or media production activities for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).