Chadian forces have arrested Boko Haram founder’s youngest son over alleged jihadist cell leadership.
Muslim Yusuf, 18, was detained with five others, reportedly linked to Islamic State West Africa Province.
Chadian authorities have arrested the youngest son of Boko Haram’s late founder, Mohammed Yusuf, on allegations of leading a jihadist cell in the country, according to intelligence sources and a former member of the insurgent group.
The suspect, identified as Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, was detained alongside five others believed to be members of the Islamist movement. Boko Haram, established in Nigeria by his father before his death in 2009, has terrorized communities across the Lake Chad region for over a decade, launching repeated raids on villages and military installations.
Although police in Chad confirmed the arrest of six Boko Haram suspects, they did not officially confirm whether one of them was Yusuf’s son. However, a Nigerian intelligence officer stationed in the Lake Chad area said reports indicated that the group was headed by Muslim Yusuf, who is now about 18 years old. The officer added that the arrested cell was linked to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a faction that split from Boko Haram following leadership and ideological disputes.
Photos obtained after the arrest showed a slim young man in a blue tracksuit, bearing a close resemblance to the late Boko Haram leader, standing among much older detainees. Yusuf, who also goes by the name Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, is the younger brother of ISWAP’s current leader, Habib Yusuf, also known as Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi.
A former Boko Haram commander, now turned critic of the group, also confirmed the arrest. “He and his team were taken by Chadian security forces. They are six in total,” he said.
Chadian police spokesperson Paul Manga told reporters in N’Djamena that the men were picked up “a few months ago,” describing them as undocumented individuals linked to Boko Haram who had been operating within the city.
