201 arrests in first-of-its-kind cybercrime operation in MENA region
A first-of-its-kind cybercrime operation in the MENA region has led to the arrest of 201 individuals, with a further 382 suspects identified. Thirteen countries from the Middle East and North Africa took part in Operation Ramz (October 2025 – 28 February 2026) which aimed to investigate and disrupt malicious infrastructure, identify and arrest suspects, and prevent future losses. The operation focused on neutralizing phishing and malware threats, as well as tackling cyber scams that inflict severe cost to the region. In addition to the arrests made, 3,867 victims were identified, and 53 servers were seized. Operation Ramz marked a milestone as the first cyber operation of its scale coordinated by INTERPOL in the MENA region. During this effort, nearly 8,000 pieces of crucial data and intelligence were disseminated among participating countries to initiate and support investigations.
During Operation Ramz, INTERPOL worked closely with its partners, Group-IB, Kaspersky, the Shadowserver Foundation, Team Cymru and TrendAI to track illegal cyber activities and identify malicious servers. Operation Ramz received support from the Qatar Ministry of Interior and was partially funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe under the CyberSouth+ project. Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Tunisia, UAE.









