Young Son of Boko Haram Founder Arrested in Chad

Chad has arrested Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, the youngest son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf, along with five suspected militants, intelligence sources and a former insurgent told AFP.

Muslim Yusuf, 18, allegedly led a jihadist cell affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram offshoot, according to a Nigerian intelligence source in the Lake Chad region. He was an infant when his father was killed in 2009 during a military crackdown that left around 800 dead.

Photos seen by AFP show a young, slender man in a blue tracksuit resembling Yusuf standing with older men. Yusuf, who also goes by Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, is the younger brother of ISWAP leader Habib Yusuf, alias Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi.

A former lieutenant of Mohammed Yusuf, who has since denounced Boko Haram, confirmed the arrests, saying, “He and the team were arrested by Chadian security. They are six in number.”

Chadian police spokesman Paul Manga said the suspects were “bandits who operate in the city… they are undocumented, they are members of Boko Haram” and added that the arrests occurred “a few months ago.”

Nigeria’s counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.