Terrorist Propaganda Cell Dismantled in Italy

Italian police announced on Tuesday that they had dismantled a terrorist propaganda cell run by a Pakistani woman and composed of five young foreigners, four of whom reside in Italy.

According to a police statement, four of the detainees are accused of “forming a terrorist organization with Salafist aspirations” aimed at “propagating, supporting, and strengthening the terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and ISIS.”

The fifth individual is accused of “training with the intention of potentially joining terrorist organizations,” according to AFP.

The Bologna prosecutor’s office, which is handling the investigation, issued five arrest warrants, four of which have been executed. The fifth suspect had left Italy and traveled to the Horn of Africa, according to police.

The investigation began in September 2023, based on internet surveillance and monitoring of terrorist propaganda websites. These platforms have become “effective tools for attracting second-generation youth with migrant backgrounds, gaining their loyalty, or even Italian youths seeking a clear identity who are more susceptible to global jihadist rhetoric.”

The statement concluded that the investigation revealed “a rapid and therefore alarming development in the intentions of the suspects, whose activities go beyond merely propagating jihadist content to expanding their scope to new areas.”