A novel chemically modified magnetic hydroxyapatite (MHAp) was prepared and used as support and stabilizer for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. First, 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) was successfully grafted onto the surface of MHAp, and then silver nanoparticles were homogeneously loaded on mesoporous MHAp-DABCO (ionic-tagged MHAp) nanocomposite by in situ chemical reduction of silver nitrate using sodium borohydride. The structure and properties of the resulting MHAp-DABCO-Ag nanocomposite were confirmed using various techniques. The catalytic activity of ionic-tagged MHAp-Ag nanocatalyst was investigated for the hydrogenation reaction of nitroarenes in aqueous media. The results reveal that the Ag-containing inorganic-organic nanocomposite is highly efficient for the reduction of a wide range of aromatic nitro compounds under green conditions. The superparamagnetic nature of the nanocatalyst leads to its being readily removed from solution via application of a magnetic field, and it can be easily stored and reused. KEYWORDS aqueous media, hydrogenation of nitroarenes, ionic-tagged magnetic hydroxyapatite, organometallic nanocatalyst, silver nanoparticle