According to investigators, he was ready to carry out an attack after leaving prison, where he was held and where he was trying to recruit.
A pre-trial detention order was executed by the Turin DIGOS (Special Operations Unit) and the Central Investigative Unit of the Penitentiary Police, coordinated by the Central Directorate of Prevention Police, against a 40-year-old Tunisian man accused of participating in the jihadist terrorist organization Ansar al-Sharia.
According to investigations by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office, the man had been living in Italy for over ten years under a false name, “idolated” and supported the teachings of Osama bin Laden, founder of Al Qaeda, and said he was ready to “die in the name of Islam” by carrying out an attack after his release.
While in prison, he allegedly proselytized among his cellmates with Islamic propaganda songs, mystical tales, and quotes about the will of God, inspiring other inmates to choose the path of jihad.
He also reportedly praised the Islamic State’s attacks in Europe and spoke of taking up arms to enforce Sharia law, considering it “the only law to be enforced,” even through martyrdom.
The operation, dubbed ‘Shaytan’, was conducted within the prison system with the support of the regional prison police unit.
