They engaged in conduct aimed at jihadist propaganda and incitement to terrorism, praising and encouraging violent action and the use of weapons as a means of struggle against the West and unbelievers. The two individuals concerned are foreign nationals who were placed under arrest following an investigation carried out by officers of the Palermo Digos and the Central Directorate of Prevention Police.
The formal charge is incitement to commit crimes aggravated by terrorist intent.
Two warrants were also carried out for personal, home, and digital searches, issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Juvenile Court of Palermo against two foreign minors under investigation for the illegal possession of firearms, who emerged as contacts of the two individuals placed under arrest.
The conduct attributed to the two detainees consisted of spreading messages through TikTok and Instagram profiles containing references to jihad and religious martyrdom, reflecting a violent disposition and a fascination with war weapons and explosives.
During the investigation, social media posts were identified that indicated an advanced process of religious radicalization, presenting as an ultimate sacrifice the elimination of unbelievers, described as people “to be sent to hell,” and referring to the duty to strike “their filthy cities” and “their polytheistic filth,” thereby inciting the commission of various crimes on Italian territory.
Investigators also found the sharing of images showing the White House in flames, with the flag of the Islamic State replacing the US flag, as well as armed Islamist groups, with references to key figures in the jihadist sphere such as Osama bin Laden, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, a leader of ISIS, and other suicide attackers.
Particularly emblematic is a video that, against the backdrop of the Islamic State flag, shows acts of violence by a man dressed in black against kneeling and handcuffed individuals wearing orange jumpsuits, among whom the current President of the United States can be recognized.
Evidence was also gathered showing the suspects engaged in athletic preparation and training through combat sports, accompanied by religious music, phrases praising Allah, and in some cases even throat-slitting gestures.
Within the same investigation, three foreign minors also emerged, two located in the province of Trapani and one in northern Italy, all sharing a fascination with weapons and all subjected to personal and home search warrants.
Monitoring of their social media profiles made it possible to establish the existence of numerous posts on Instagram and TikTok showing them using semiautomatic pistols as well as stabbing and bladed weapons, alongside references to Islamic symbolism.
During the searches, numerous digital devices and computer equipment were seized, along with a replica submachine gun without the legally required red tip and objects bearing Islamist symbols. At the home of the minors in the province of Trapani, a semiautomatic soft-air pistol without a red tip was also seized.
