Italy’s Carabinieri Special Operations Group (ROS), with support from the Como Provincial Command, carried out a precautionary custody order placing a minor in a community facility. The measure was issued by the Milan Juvenile Court at the request of the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.
The teenager, of Egyptian origin and living in the province of Como, is alleged by investigators to have self-radicalized beginning in 2024, becoming a promoter of systematic violent jihadist propaganda through intensive use of social media and messaging platforms.
The investigation: jihadist propaganda on social media and international contacts
The precautionary measure stems from a complex investigation conducted by the Milan ROS starting in October 2024. During the inquiry, investigators identified a network of internet users, including at an international level, involved in disseminating jihadist multimedia content.
Monitoring activities focused in particular on Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, and WhatsApp, platforms on which the suspect allegedly carried out relentless activity involving the publication, promotion, and sharing of extremist material with clear ideological references to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
According to prosecutors, the content distributed included explicit glorification of well-known figures of Islamist terrorism and messages capable of inciting violence, constituting offenses under Articles 414 paragraph 4, 270-bis.1, and 270-sexies of the Italian Criminal Code, with the aggravating factor of using digital and online tools.
Searches and extremist material found on devices
A house search carried out at the minor’s residence, along with subsequent technical analysis of his electronic devices, led to the discovery of numerous jihadist propaganda multimedia files. Investigators consider these materials further clear evidence of incitement to terrorism of a religious nature.
The investigation also uncovered significant contacts between the suspect and other individuals previously arrested in separate terrorism-related cases, who were themselves accused of spreading violent, jihad-glorifying content online.
Second case in a few months: heightened focus on minors
This is the second minor, within just a few months, to be subjected to a precautionary measure ordered by the Milan Juvenile Court following ROS investigations. In early November last year, another young person of Tunisian origin, unrelated to the current case, was arrested in the province of Pavia on similar charges connected to online terrorist propaganda.
The operation underscores the high level of attention law enforcement is paying to the phenomenon of youth radicalization via the internet, which is considered one of the main emerging threats to national security.
