Why Is There A Tajik Islamic State Operative In Costa Rica?

At least three Islamic State provinces have developed a transnational network that exploits migrant routes into the southern United States in the past couple of years

Picture via David Berkowitz: https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidberkowitz/6991820927/in/photostream

On September 20, it was reported that Costa Rican security arrested an individual from Tajikistan who is affiliated with the Islamic State. He was originally arrested on August 27 in the border town of Los Chiles, which is Alajuela province in the northern part of Costa Rica near the border with Nicaragua. Since this individuals’ arrest, the Costa Rican government has initiated an extradition process with Tajikistan. Although Costa Rica has not released further details yet, allegedly due to security concerns, this is not the first time we have seen jihadis show up and have been arrested in Costa Rica. Moreover, recent U.S. Treasury designations alongside arrests within the United States could point to this Tajik IS operative having connections to an IS transnational smuggling network that exploits traditional migrant routes that has attempted to funnel IS members into the United States via its southern border. At this point, it is minimal and not an acute issue. However, it is worth diving deeper into what we know so far.