Costa Rica on high alert for terror suspects among those who are migrating through in an attempt to illegally enter the US

COSTA RICA - A report with the Tico Times states that Panamanian authorities have confirmed that members of Hezbollah, a dangerous terrorist group from the Middle East, have been detected crossing the Darién jungle. Authorities also noted that these individuals are linked to groups involved in migrant smuggling. 

Costa Rica's Minister of Security, Mario Zamora, explained that the recent rise in migration has heightened alerts for individuals connected to terrorist groups. However, he stated that no direct cases involving Hezbollah have been reported in Costa Rica so far.

Other cases of individuals with links to terrorism have, however, been recorded. Zamora said, "Costa Rica has detained three individuals with international terrorism alerts: two Somalis linked to a little-known gang and an Egyptian connected to Al Qaeda. Currently, we have a person from Kazakhstan, linked to ISIS, in custody. This migratory flow has brought individuals with a history of terrorism."

He went on to emphasize that Costa Rica and Panama share a database to identify terrorist groups, which helps to facilitate effective coordination between the two countries. He added, "If Panama hadn't detected them, we would have caught them here."

Zamora highlighted Costa Rica's implementation of an advanced biometric system, which was funded by a U.S. grant. 

"This system, still in the process of being implemented, will allow for more accurate identification of individuals linked to terrorism passing through our country," Zamora said. The National Intelligence and Security Directorate (DIS) has confirmed that in recent year, Costa Rica has seen an increase in attempts by individuals associated with terrorist groups to enter the country.

In 2023, DIS official Hans Sequeira explained that these individuals attempt to enter Costa Rica irregularly through the southern border, hidden among the flow of extra-continental migrants traveling through the region toward the U.S. Reportedly, the primary reason for choosing Costa Rica is the relative ease of entry amid the large number of migrants. For DIS, cooperation with other countries in the region is key to apprehending these individuals and ensuring their return to their countries of origin. 

In March, a Lebanese migrant who claimed to be a member of Hezbollah entered the United States by illegally crossing the southern border. According to National Review, 22-year-old Basel Bassel Ebbadi had plans to travel to New York, where he would have tried to "make a bomb." In a sworn interview, he said that he was affiliated with Hezbollah for seven years and was an active member of the terror group for four. He illegally crossed into the country on March 9th, and was placed in a detention facility awaiting deportation.

Border patrol referred the man to the Tactical Terrorism Response Team after he made "terroristic threats to personnel." During an interview, he said that his training with Hezbollah focused on "jihad" and killing people. U.S. officials have expressed concerns that the Iranian proxy could attack Americans abroad and at home. In November of 2023, FBI director Christopher Wray said, "The arrests of individuals in the United States allegedly linked to Hezbollah's main overseas terrorist arm, and their intelligence-collection and procurement efforts, demonstrate Hezbollah's interest in long-term contingency planning activities here in the homeland."

In September 2023, the Department of Homeland Security said that Border Patrol has noticed a "growing number of individuals" who are on the FBI's terrorist watch list to try and enter the United States via the southern border.