Italy on Monday arrested three Palestinian men, described by the Minister of Interior Matteo Piantedosi as “dangerous terrorists.” Prosecutors said they were planning terror attacks abroad.
La Repubblica reports that the three had been allowed to live in Italy after being given “residence permits for humanitarian reasons.”
Swiss politician Ruedi Löffel said the news was a sign that “Hamas terrorism is coming to Europe.”
Reports vary on the target of the group’s planned attacks, with Reuters saying this is “unspecified.” But The Times newspaper in London claimed the trio was preparing for a suicide car bomb attack on the Israeli Avnei Hefetz settlement in the West Bank.
The three Palestinians were living in l’Aquila, about 120km (75 miles) northeast of Rome, and are alleged to have set up a terror cell linked to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. This is an armed group linked to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is considered a terrorist body by the European Union, the U.S., and Israel.
One of the three men, Anan Yaeesh, said in an intercepted WhatsApp message to the leader of the Brigades in January:
It’s a suicide unit, ready to act in depth and our action will be soon.
Yaeesh had already been arrested in January at the request of Israel, which is pushing for him to be extradited. His lawyers, quoted in la Repubblica, say this would lead to a “concrete and effective risk that Yaeesh will be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment,” including “torture.”
Piantedosi stressed that the arrests confirm “the continuous commitment and great investigative capacity of our law enforcement agencies.” As European tensions over fighting in the Middle East continue to rise, such commitment will be essential to ward off further threats to life and liberty.
