JIGJIGA, Ethiopia — Police in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State have arrested a man accused of secretly recording Somali women and attempting to extort them with explicit videos obtained through social media, authorities said Monday.
The suspect, identified by police as Ayuub, is originally from Mogadishu and has lived in several European countries, including Italy and Austria. He was detained in Jigjiga after multiple women reported that he recorded them without their knowledge and later threatened to release the footage unless they complied with his demands, according to regional officials.
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Investigators said a targeted operation led to his arrest and the seizure of a large cache of videos on his phone. The footage allegedly involved women he met in multiple cities, including Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Garowe, Wajaale, Addis Ababa and Jigjiga.
Police said the pattern followed a clear script: the suspect first contacted women through social media platforms, gradually building trust and portraying himself as a romantic partner. Communication moved to messages and video calls, during which he allegedly recorded the women without their consent, including moments when they were partially or fully unclothed. Once he obtained initial recordings, he pressed for additional, more explicit material. Women who refused, investigators said, were threatened with the release of earlier footage.
Authorities said victims came from different backgrounds, with some deceived by his persistent expressions of affection and others facing social or economic pressures that left them more vulnerable to manipulation. Police emphasized that these tactics mirror methods increasingly seen in “sextortion” cases across the region, where criminals weaponize intimacy and privacy against victims.
Regional police urged the public to be vigilant when interacting with strangers online and to report suspicious profiles or coercive behavior to authorities. They warned that the rapid spread of digital communications is creating new avenues for exploitation, particularly for users who may be isolated or targeted through identity-based appeals.
- Be cautious when communicating with unfamiliar profiles or contacts online.
- Report suspicious or coercive behavior to law enforcement and platform operators.
- Recognize that digital platforms can introduce risks, including nonconsensual recording and extortion.
Officials did not provide further details about the number of potential victims or the scope of the alleged recordings but said the videos recovered appeared to span several cities and multiple encounters. They urged residents who believe they may have been targeted to come forward.
The arrest highlights the growing challenge of policing cross-border online crimes that are carried out on widely used platforms but can have profound, real-world consequences. Authorities reiterated that anyone exploiting private images or videos without consent will face prosecution under applicable laws and encouraged communities to support victims seeking help.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
