Videos of before and after the Islam “cure” and a book to introduce the little ones to the precepts of fundamentalism. What you need to know about the investigation, including the fifth suspect (and wanted) now in Ethiopia
Very young, good at social media, especially on TikTok, and extremely religious. These are the profiles, reported by Ansa, that emerge from the “Da'wa” (The Call) group, for which the Bologna Prosecutor's Office coordinated by the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office, made five arrests in four different regions in Italy. The leader of the group was a 22-year-old girl who had recently returned from Pakistan, her native country, not even two weeks ago and lived in Bologna. Her 19-year-old brother also ended up under investigation with her. The young woman is accused of having set up, via social media, a terrorist association dedicated to the promotion, consolidation and strengthening of groups such as “Al Qaeda” and the “Islamic State“. Four of the gang ended up in prison yesterday: the two brothers from Bologna, an 18-year-old from Spoleto from a family originally from Algeria and a 27-year-old of Turkish origin residing in Monfalcone. A fifth suspect, a 20-year-old of Moroccan origin living in Milan, is wanted because he left for Ethiopia in November this year.
The dream of becoming a jihadist and videos on TikTok: in the mind of the 22-year-old leader
In the conversations between the alleged leader and the other girl in the group, the desire to go and live outside to reach jihadist training camps or in any case those with a strong Islamic imprint emerges. The 22-year-old would have proselytized online, with videos on TikTokk, prayers in Italian, to bring more young people closer to her world. The warrant interrogation is scheduled for her in Bologna the day after tomorrow, together with that of another suspect. The girl is defended by the lawyer Simone Romano.
Before and after the brother's “treatment” and the “young Muslim” book
The investigation documents also reveal the social activity of some members of the group, including videos showing a before and after of the dictates of Islam. The 19-year-old brother of the alleged leader of the group was used as a model. It is precisely because of this social activity that the judicial authority specifically contests the hypothesis of training aimed at possible enlistment within jihadist terrorist organizations. The boy, described in the investigations as initially reluctant, makes a radical transformation in a few months. From Western clothing he then shows himself, again online, with traditional clothes from his country of origin intent on reciting prayers. In the conversations intercepted between the 22-year-old and an 18-year-old from the group, the latter's concern for her 7-year-old brother emerges. she, from an Algerian family, feared that the child would receive a negative influence when attending Italian school. The two, through the management of different social profiles they managed, circulated the English and Italian translation of a children's book, called “The young Muslim“, for teaching the principles of Islam to the little ones, with the implication, according to the investigators, of violent jihad.
(cover photo by MATAQ Darul Ulum on Unsplash)
