Interpol Orange Notice: Security Threat Warnings

An Interpol Orange Notice warns member countries about dangerous persons, objects, or events that represent a credible potential threat to public safety. Orange Notices are security alerts — they are operational warnings directed at law enforcement and security services, not arrest requests against specific criminal suspects. The notice circulates technical information about a specific identified threat to the National Central Bureaus of INTERPOL’s 196 member countries, enabling coordinated preventive action across jurisdictions.

Orange Notices are among the less frequently issued INTERPOL notice types. Their use is concentrated in cases involving specific, identified security threats — disguised weapons, improvised explosive devices, toxic substances, or other dangerous items that have been identified and require rapid international dissemination to security services. They are reviewed and issued by INTERPOL’s General Secretariat following a request from a member country’s NCB.

An Orange Notice is triggered by a specific identified threat with supporting technical information. The requesting NCB must be able to describe the threat in terms that enable other law enforcement agencies to recognize it — whether that is a specific type of modified weapon, an explosive device with particular characteristics, or a hazardous substance with specific properties. General threat assessments do not qualify; the notice requires a concrete, identifiable threat.

In terrorism-related cases, Orange Notices are frequently issued alongside other notice types. Where a specific device or method has been identified in connection with a planned attack, an Orange Notice about the device may be issued at the same time as Red Notices or Diffusions against the individuals involved. The two serve different purposes: the Orange Notice alerts security services to the threat; the enforcement notices target the suspects. The distinction matters legally — an Orange Notice alone does not create arrest risk for any individual.

An Orange Notice itself is not directed at arresting or prosecuting a specific person. It describes a threat, not a suspect. However, where an individual is identified in connection with the threat described in an Orange Notice — for example, as a suspected supplier of a dangerous device — that association creates investigative and enforcement risk through other mechanisms. The Orange Notice provides law enforcement with context; the enforcement consequences for the individual arise from separate Red Notices, Diffusions, or domestic investigation activity.

In practice, individuals who are aware that an Orange Notice has been issued in connection with activity they are associated with should treat this as a signal that enforcement actions are likely to follow. Proactive legal assessment — understanding the specific allegations, the notice content, and the likely enforcement trajectory — is strongly preferable to waiting for arrest. Contact our team for a confidential early assessment of your position.

Orange Notices have particular significance for transportation security — aviation, maritime, and border crossing authorities receive Orange Notices and use the technical information they contain to enhance screening and detection. An Orange Notice about a specific concealment method, for example, will result in heightened attention to that method at security checkpoints across all member countries. This operational security function is distinct from the enforcement function of Red Notices.

Individuals traveling in contexts where Orange Notices are active — for example, routes associated with the threat described — may face enhanced screening that is not specifically directed at them but reflects the general alert level. This is a practical consequence of the notice’s security function rather than a legal consequence of the notice itself.

All data in INTERPOL’s systems is subject to oversight by the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files, including Orange Notice data. An Orange Notice that contains inaccurate information about an individual, or that was issued in violation of INTERPOL’s rules, can be challenged through the CCF process. In practice, Orange Notice challenges are less common than Red Notice challenges because Orange Notices do not directly name individuals as suspects, but they are available where data accuracy or rule compliance is at issue.

Where an individual is incorrectly associated with the threat described in an Orange Notice — either through mistaken identification or through inclusion of inaccurate information — the CCF access and challenge process is the appropriate mechanism for correction. The CCF applies the same substantive rules to Orange Notice data as to all other INTERPOL data: accuracy, compliance with INTERPOL’s rules, and respect for human rights standards.

If you have reason to believe that an Orange Notice has been issued in connection with activity you are associated with, or that you may face enforcement action arising from a security-related investigation, the appropriate first steps are: understanding what notice data INTERPOL holds about you through the CCF access process; engaging legal counsel experienced in INTERPOL and international criminal matters to assess your exposure; and identifying whether Red Notices or Diffusions have been issued alongside any Orange Notice. The enforcement risk in these cases typically comes from the enforcement notices, not the Orange Notice itself, but early legal engagement across all relevant notice types is essential.

Our lawyers advise individuals facing complex multi-notice situations, including cases involving security-related investigations. Contact us for a confidential consultation. See our guidance on CCF challenges and the general Interpol Red Notice defence process.