One of "the world's most wanted" human traffickers caught, Interpol says

Cairo — An Eritrean national described as one of "the world's most wanted" human traffickers has been arrested in Sudan after an international manhunt led by the United Arab Emirates, Interpol announced on Thursday. The suspect — identified as Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam — is accused of leading a criminal organization that abducts, extorts and murders East African migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya, the France-based police agency said in an online statement.
 
He was arrested on Sunday in a ″major international police operation led by the United Arab Emirates, based on information shared via Interpol,″ said a statement from the UAE's Ministry of Interior, published by The Khaleej Times.
 
A breakthrough in the manhunt came after UAE authorities began closely tracking Habtemariam's organization and members of his family, uncovering money laundering patterns that led them to Sudan, the agency said. Interpol first began monitoring Habtemariam's activities in 2019.