The arrest of a 22-year-old man in Italy suggests Europe’s terror threat extends well beyond that posed by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Police in Reggio Emilia and Bologna on Monday arrested an Italian man of Moroccan origins, who judicial sources told reporters is accused of recruiting for the purpose of terrorism, including international terrorism.
Investigators discovered that the man had alleged motives to attack people with a knife. He had been in contact with a man believed to be a supporter of the ISIS Islamic terror group, who had offered training and funding.
The man is now in police custody in jail. Prosecutors have, however, ruled out a terror motive.
Giulia Sorrentino, from the Brothers of Italy (FdI) parliamentary group, thanked police officials “for the timely and effective intervention,” adding:
This operation confirms the high professionalism of our law enforcement agencies and the importance of their daily work in preventing and combating threats to public safety.
The arrest comes after a leaked classified dossier last week revealed that officers from the terrorist IRGC are working across the European Union under diplomatic cover. This prompted German MEP Hannah Neumann to insist that “we need to completely drain the IRGC’s money, influence and reach inside Europe.”
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has also warned that Iran is likely to expand its covert operations across Europe when its war against the U.S. and Israel subsides. This could result in increased attacks on Jewish targets, Israeli institutions, and other individuals and organisations seen by Tehran as ‘traitors.’
Outside of Europe, too, a group of seven women and 12 children linked to ISIS is set to return to Australia after years spent in Syria, prompting fears of incoming criminal activity.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
