Interpol is to establish an office in Saudi Arabia that will serve the Middle East and North Africa region [Getty]
Interpol will open a regional office in Saudi Arabia to support law enforcement efforts across the Middle East and North Africa, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.
The move, which has been in the works since 2016, comes at a time when the Kingdom is expanding its role in global security affairs, seeking to bolster its diplomatic influence and strategic partnerships with Western allies.
A host country agreement was signed between Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al-Faleh, undersecretary of the Saudi interior ministry, and Interpol Secretary-General Jürgen Stock, with the presence of Saudi minister of interior, Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, and Interpol president, Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi.
After the signing, the officials held discussions on Interpol’s activities and regional law enforcement cooperation.
“The creation of a new Interpol Regional Bureau for North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken an important step forward,” Interpol said in a press release on Thursday.
The office will collaborate with national and regional entities, including the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council, GCCPOL, and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.
The GCCPOL has faced renewed criticism for enabling politically motivated arrests and the suppression of dissent after the recent deportation of Egyptian-Turkish poet and activist Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi from Lebanon to the UAE.
Arrested in Lebanon in December 2024, al-Qaradawi was detained based on an Egyptian arrest warrant accusing him of “disseminating false news” and “inciting violence” – charges widely seen as politically motivated.
Following his arrest, both Egypt and the UAE requested his extradition, with Lebanon approving his transfer to the UAE in January 2025 despite warnings from human rights organisations about the risk of torture and an unfair trial.
Saudi Arabia’s security ambitionsÂ
Initially proposed during the 2016 Interpol Chiefs of Police Meeting for the MENA region, the initiative received endorsement from Interpol’s General Assembly in Santiago, Chile, in 2019, and was officially approved by the executive committee in May 2024.
The move highlights Riyadh’s ambition to position itself as a key player in global security as part of its Vision 2030. It also presents as a signal to its Western allies and international partners that Riyadh is committed to combating crime, terrorism and cracking down on organised criminal networks.
However, the decision has sparked serious concerns about human rights, transparency, and the risk of political misuse of Interpol’s tools in a country where freedom of expression and political dissent are heavily suppressed and judicial independence is restricted.
Interpol came under controversy in 2021 when Emirati General Ahmed Naser Raisi was elected as its president, despite facing multiple allegations of human rights violations, including torture and the misuse of Interpol’s Red Notice system to target political opponents.
Al-Raisi, who served as Inspector-General of the UAE’s Ministry of Interior since 2015, was accused of overseeing the imprisonment of dissidents and abusing state security mechanisms to silence critics. Complaints against him were filed in France and Turkey, detailing alleged crimes and violations of due process.
His election also raised concerns about the financial influence of Gulf states on Interpol, as the UAE became one of the organisation’s largest donors. In 2017, it contributed €50 million to Interpol’s Foundation for a Safer World, making it the third-largest external funder.
