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Italian police announced on Tuesday that they had dismantled a jihadist propaganda cell operating online, targeting five suspects of foreign origin, including the alleged leader—a Pakistani woman.
According to a statement, four of the suspects were accused of forming a “terrorist association inspired by Salafist-jihadist ideology” to promote Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. The fifth suspect, a young man, was reportedly in the process of radicalization under the influence of his sister, the Pakistani woman considered the primary suspect. She had grown up in Bologna and was allegedly the cell’s leader.
Prosecutors in Bologna issued five arrest warrants, though one of the suspects had already fled. The young man, who grew up in Milan, is believed to have joined jihadist militias active in the Horn of Africa, the statement revealed.
Authorities highlighted the cell’s concerning use of young individuals, often minors, who are drawn to extremist propaganda.
These individuals quickly become both disseminators of extremist content and potential threats, with an unpredictable likelihood of transitioning to violent actions, making them particularly dangerous.
