Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was arrested in Sudan on January 1. Photo: Interpol
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was arrested in Sudan on January 1. Photo: Interpol
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was arrested in Sudan on January 1. Photo: Interpol
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was arrested in Sudan on January 1. Photo: Interpol

UAE arrests head of major human trafficking network


Ali Al Shouk
  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE has announced the arrest of two internationally wanted men allegedly involved in human trafficking and money laundering.

The two brothers and their associates were caught following a nine-month security operation led by the UAE in partnership with Interpol.

Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam of Eritrea was arrested in Sudan on Sunday by local police in co-operation with the UAE's Ministry of Interior, it was announced in a press conference on Thursday.

He was wanted for leading a criminal organisation that, over several years, kidnapped, mistreated and extorted East African migrants looking to migrate to Europe, according to an Interpol red notice.

His gang held thousands of African refugees and migrants bound for Europe in warehouses in Libya and extorted thousands of dollars from them and their families, Reuters reported in June.

Kidane was arrested in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in 2020 but escaped in February 2021. Four months later, in his absence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In October, Dutch prosecutors put Kidane on their most wanted list. Reuters said a Dutch public prosecutor's investigation revealed that his organisation “abuses, extorts, kidnaps and rapes Eritreans” who want to reach the Netherlands.

It is estimated that since 2014, Kidane has been responsible for the trafficking of thousands of victim. Netherlands Police
It is estimated that since 2014, Kidane has been responsible for the trafficking of thousands of victim. Netherlands Police

After his arrest in Sudan this week, he was extradited to the UAE.

In a video shared on social media by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, showed the trafficking routes for hundreds of illegal immigrants from Africa to Europe, with people moved from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Libya across the Mediterranean Sea and into Italy.

Brig Saeed Al Suwaidi, director general of the UAE's Federal Anti-Narcotics General Directorate, said on Thursday that Kidane will face trial in the UAE.

“UAE Public Prosecution is reviewing his file for the moment,” Brig Al Suwaidi said.

“He will go on trial first in the UAE and the court will decide later on the extradition to Ethiopia or Netherlands after he gets his final judgment.

“It was a happy new year for all police departments working on this operation.”

It is estimated that since 2014, Kidane has been responsible for the trafficking of thousands of victims.

In March last year, intelligence gathered by Interpol's Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants unit led to a task force being formed by participants from the UAE, Ethiopia, Sudan, the Netherlands and Europol.

The collaboration generated fresh intelligence which allowed UAE authorities to conduct an investigation into Kidane's network and family as well as identify money-laundering activities.

“His arrest will neutralise a major people-smuggling route to Europe and protect thousands who would have been at risk of exploitation,” Brig Al Suwaidi said.

“[Kidane] is top level in his network. He was directing his partners on how to transfer migrants from one place to another.”

Stephen Kavanagh, executive director of Police Services at Interpol, said Kidane used people as commodities.

“We know he was using false identification to cross borders and he was travelling by air sometimes,” Mr Kavanagh said.

“We are proud of the co-operation with the UAE and the global effort to arrest Zekarias [Kidane].”

Stefan Schrander, warrant officer, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee said the co-operation between the various police forces “has already resulted in the extradition by Ethiopia last year of a close associate of his and is now followed by a major arrest”.

Kidane's brother, Henok, was also arrested in the operation in Sudan and will face charges of money laundering.

More arrests are expected as part of ongoing investigations and as co-ordination continues with several Interpol member countries.

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Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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The specs
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

PSG's line up

GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)

Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)

Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)

Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)

Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)

The five pillars of Islam

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5. Zakat 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting

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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

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Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah

Date of birth: 15 November, 1951

Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”

Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries

• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.

• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs

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How to apply for a drone permit
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  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019

Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital

Top pick: National Commercial Bank

Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects

 

Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes

Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank

Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates

 

Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank

Top pick: Arab National Bank

Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends

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THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS

AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas

DevisionX – manufacturing

Event Gates – security and manufacturing

Farmdar – agriculture

Farmin – smart cities

Greener Crop – agriculture

Ipera.ai – space digitisation

Lune Technologies – fibre-optics

Monak – delivery

NutzenTech – environment

Nybl – machine learning

Occicor – shelf management

Olymon Solutions – smart automation

Pivony – user-generated data

PowerDev – energy big data

Sav – finance

Searover – renewables

Swftbox – delivery

Trade Capital Partners – FinTech

Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment

Workfam – employee engagement

Results

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

match details

Wales v Hungary

Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Updated: January 05, 2023, 4:59 PM`