Italy – Eye on Islamism

Number of unofficial mosques in Rome being used as breeding grounds for Islamic extremists doubles in ten years A new report by Italy's interior ministry shines a light on the growing threat of Islamic extremism in the Italian capital

April 19, 2024 Thomas Brooke

(Remix News) The number of unofficial mosques in the Italian capital of Rome being monitored by Italy’s counter-terror agency has nearly doubled in the last 10 years as prayer sites preaching fundamental Islamic teachings encroach on Italian society. According to a new […]

Three teens suspected of backing Islamic State arrested in Switzerland

April 13, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) Three teenagers from the northern Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen and Thurgau have been arrested for allegedly planning explosives attacks in the country. They are also suspected of supporting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation. The detainees are a 15-year-old Swiss […]

Italian MP to propose bill recognizing Eid Al-Fitr as national holiday

April 10, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Arab News) A politician in Italy said on Wednesday that he will ask the country’s parliament to recognize Eid Al-Fitr as a national holiday. As Muslims around Italy celebrated the end of Ramadan, Aboubakar Soumahoro, formerly of the Green and Left Alliance, […]

Suspected IS terrorist arrested in Italy after flying from Eindhoven to Rome

April 8, 2024 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) Police in Italy arrested an individual suspected of being actively involved in terrorist organization ISIS shortly after he managed to fly from Eindhoven Airport to Rome Fiumicino Airport on Monday morning. The suspect, identified only by the initials S.I., was […]

Interior min raises anti-terror surveillance after Moscow Monitoring also on the web

March 25, 2024 Unlisted Author

(ANSA) The National Committee for Public Order and Security on Monday decided to strengthen anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy in the wake of Friday’s terror attack claimed by Islamic State at a concert hall in Moscow in which 137 people were killed. During […]

Main terror risk for Italy ‘from lone wolves not groups’ Cabinet Sec' Mantovano worried about risk of 'self-activation'

March 24, 2024 Unlisted Author

(ANSA) Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said Sunday that the main terrorist threat Italy faces at the moment comes from lone wolves rather than organized groups like the one that staged Friday’s attack in Moscow. “The threat is not so much that of […]

Three arrested after man dies in ‘Islamic exorcism’ Ex-wife, brother, uncle suspected of causing victim's death

March 23, 2024 Unlisted Author

(ANSA) Carabinieri police on Saturday arrested three people over allegations a 43-year-old man was killed during [an] Islamic exorcism rite on February 10 in the town of Salassa, near Turin, sources said. It was initially thought that the man had died of […]

Italy rejects extradition to Israel of Palestinian over rights fears

March 13, 2024 Emilio Parodi

(Reuters) An Italian appeals court refused on Wednesday to send a suspected Palestinian militant to Israel, saying he risked “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment” if he was extradited. The man, named by the court as Anan Kamal Afif Yaeesh, 36, was one […]

Amnesty International worried over Palestinian resident of Italy’s possible extradition to Israel Anan Ya’eesh arrested in January on charges of conspiring to commit terrorist acts

March 12, 2024 Giovanni Legorano

(Anadolu) Amnesty International expressed “deep concern” Monday over the possible extradition to Israel of a Palestinian man who is a legal resident of Italy. Anan Ya’eesh, originally from Tulkarem in the West Bank, was arrested in January for allegedly being part of […]

A new terror threat is emerging in Europe linked to Iran, Gaza war Security services are on edge as the Israel-Hamas conflict galvanizes new actors

March 12, 2024 Bojan Pancevski and Bertrand Benoit

(Wall Street Journal) Authorities in Europe say they have foiled several terror plots, some involving suspects posing as refugees, raising alarm about a growing array of threats from extremists. In one previously unreported investigation last December, police in Austria and Bosnia arrested […]

Italian police arrest three Palestinians on terrorism charges

March 11, 2024 Alvise Armellini

(Reuters) Italian police have arrested three Palestinians based in central Italy who they said were planning attacks in an unspecified country, a police statement said on Monday. The three men living in l’Aquila, about 120 km (75 miles) northeast of Rome, had […]

Girl, 10, sent home after turning up to school in niqab Ban the Islamic veil, says League after Pordenone incident

March 4, 2024 Unlisted Author

(ANSA) A 10-year-old second-generation North African-Italian girl was sent home from school in the northern city of Pordenone Friday after turning up in a niqab, the Islamic garment that covers everything but female eyes, local media reported Monday. The girl returned the […]

Albanian Parliament approves controversial deal to hold migrants for Italy

February 22, 2024 Llazar Semini

(AP) Albania’s Parliament voted Thursday to approve a deal for the country to hold thousands of asylum seekers for Italy, despite protests from opposition lawmakers and human rights groups. Under the five-year deal, Albania would shelter up to 3,000 migrants rescued from […]

Italian police carry out searches linked to Brussels terror attack

February 20, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) In the investigation into the terrorist attack in which two Swedish nationals were killed in Brussels in October 2023, the Italian anti-terrorist police carried out searches targeting 18 people on Tuesday. The operation concerned “18 people of North African origin” […]

Italy: Seven teenage Egyptian migrants arrested after 13-year-old girl gang raped in front of boyfriend

February 4, 2024 Kurt Zindulka

(Breitbart) Seven teenage migrants from Egypt have been arrested after a 13-year-old girl was gang raped in front of her boyfriend this week in Catania, an ancient port city on the island of Sicily. According to information released by local police, a […]

A Moroccan expelled from Italy for planning a terrorist attack from his prison cell

January 4, 2024 Latifa Babas

(Yabiladi) A 40-year-old Moroccan who lived in Italy was expelled from the territory for planning a terrorist attack, Italian-language daily newspaper Il Giornale reported on Wednesday. The man in question has reportedly been radicalized while detained in prison. The Italian Interior Ministry […]

Italy court hands lifetime sentence to Pakistani parents in ‘honour killing’ case

December 19, 2023 Keith Weir

(Reuters) An Italian court sentenced two parents to lifetime imprisonment on Tuesday for killing their teenage daughter after she refused to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. The so-called honour killing of 18-year-old Saman Abbas, who went missing in April 2021, […]

Two arrested in Italy for spreading Islamist propaganda — police

December 4, 2023 Alvise Armellini

(Reuters) Two people have been arrested in Italy for spreading online terrorist propaganda linked to militant groups Palestine Islamic Jihad, Islamic State and al-Qaeda, police in the northern city of Brescia said Monday. The suspects are a Pakistani national and an Italian […]

Italy arrests Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

November 9, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Police in Italy said Thursday they had arrested a 37-year-old Algerian man in the Milan subway, later discovering he was wanted by that country for alleged ties to Islamic State. When stopped by police officers for a routine check, the man […]

Albania agrees to temporarily house migrants who reach Italy while their asylum bids are processed

November 6, 2023 Frances D'Emilio

(AP) Albania agreed Monday to give temporary shelter to some of the thousands of migrants who reach Italian shores while their asylum bids are being processed, offering its neighbor across the Adriatic Sea some relief in managing some of the arrivals. The […]

Bangladeshi arrested in Italy on suspicion of Al-Qaeda links

November 3, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Italian police said Friday they had arrested a Bangladesh citizen suspected of belonging to a Pakistani Al-Qaeda-linked group who was studying military tactics and publishing incendiary videos online. Police in Genoa said the man, who described himself on Facebook as an […]

Police in at least 3 European countries arrest suspects for allegedly planning terror attacks tied to Israel-Hamas war

November 1, 2023 Philissa Cramer

(JTA) Police in at least three European countries have arrested people they said were threatening or planning terror attacks related to the Israel-Hamas war. The arrests come amid a global spike in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that […]

Italy PM backs creation of EU naval mission to patrol borders

October 25, 2023 Angelo Amante

(Reuters) Italy will support the creation of a European Union naval mission to patrol maritime borders, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament on Wednesday. “Italy will support … the creation of a European naval mission, in agreement and cooperation with the North […]

Italy arrests two alleged Islamic State members in counter-terrorism swoop

October 17, 2023 Federico Maccioni

(Reuters) Italy on Tuesday arrested an Egyptian and an Italian citizen of Egyptian origin on suspicion of terrorism offences and being members of the Islamic State (IS) militant group, the Milan prosecutors’ office said. Prosecutors said the two were arrested in the […]

186,000 migrants and refugees arrived in southern Europe so far this year, most in Italy, UN says

September 28, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) The U.N. refugee agency said Thursday that some 186,000 migrants and refugees arrived in southern Europe so far this year, the vast majority in Italy. Between January and Sept. 24, over 2,500 people seeking to cross the Mediterranean were found dead […]

Italian PM admits she hoped to do ‘better’ on migration

September 24, 2023 Alice Ritchie

(AFP) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has admitted she had hoped to do “better” on controlling irregular migration, which has surged since her far-right party won historic elections a year ago. “Clearly we hoped for better on immigration, where we worked so […]

Pope goes to Marseille to talk migration, but will Europe listen as it scrambles to stem an influx?

September 20, 2023 Nicole Winfield, Trisha Thomas and Sylvie Corbet

(AP) Ten years after Pope Francis made a landmark visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa to show solidarity with migrants, he is joining Catholic bishops from the Mediterranean this weekend in France to make the call more united. The question is […]

EU must close borders in face of ‘migrant surge,’ says Poland’s ruling PiS party

September 19, 2023 Pawel Florkiewicz

(Reuters) The European Union should deal with a surge in migrants by sealing its borders and rejecting any idea of relocating them within the bloc, Poland’s ruling party said on Tuesday as it takes a tough stance on migration before an election. […]

Italy approves new migrant detention as talk turns to naval blockade to prevent launching of boats

September 18, 2023 Nicole Winfield, Lorne Cook and Angela Charlton

(AP) The Italian government approved new measures to crack down on migration Monday, after the southern island of Lampedusa was again overwhelmed by a wave of arrivals setting off from Tunisia and the migration issue returned to center stage in Europe with […]

EU pledges crackdown on ‘brutal’ migrant smuggling during visit to overwhelmed Italian island

September 17, 2023 Colleen Barry

(AP) EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the swift return of “irregular” migrants to their home countries and a crackdown on the “brutal business” of migrant smuggling Sunday during a visit with Italy’s premier to a tiny fishing island overwhelmed […]

EU chief to visit Italy’s Lampedusa amid protests over migrant numbers

September 16, 2023 Yara Nardi

(Reuters) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Lampedusa on Sunday, an official said, as dozens of the Italian island’s citizens protested over a recent surge in migrant arrivals. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Friday for the […]

Italy’s Meloni seeks EU mission to block migrant arrivals

September 15, 2023 Yara Nardi

(Reuters) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Friday for the European Union to act jointly “with a naval mission if necessary” to prevent migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. Meloni posted a video message on social media promising tough action […]

A flotilla of migrant boats from Tunisia overwhelms an Italian island and tests Meloni’s policy

September 13, 2023 Frances D'Emilio

(AP) A flotilla of flimsy boats, crowded with migrants and launched from Tunisia, overwhelmed a tiny southern Italian island on Wednesday, taxing the coast guard’s capability to intercept the smugglers’ vessels and testing Premier Giorgia Meloni’s pledge to thwart irregular migration. Compounding […]

Italy’s Lampedusa island hit with record migrant arrivals

September 12, 2023 Tony Colapinto

(Reuters) The Italian island of Lampedusa is struggling with a record number of landings from boat migrants, local officials said on Tuesday, describing the situation as “dramatic.” Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost point and a first port of call for people crossing from North […]

Pakistani man, on trial in Italy for murder of daughter who refused marriage, is being extradited

August 31, 2023 Frances D'Emilio

(AP) Italian police on Thursday took into custody in Pakistan a Pakistani man who is on trial in Italy for the murder of his daughter after she refused family demands to marry a cousin in their homeland. The court case, in Reggio […]

Italy’s Meloni convenes public safety body over migrant arrivals

August 28, 2023 Alvise Armellini

(Reuters) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday she was convening a ministerial panel for national security to improve her government’s response to a surge in migrant arrivals. Italy has been struggling to accommodate arrivals from North Africa and the Balkans […]

Pressure on Meloni grows as Italy’s interior ministry announces 100,000 migrant arrivals this year

August 17, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Euronews) Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to power in October last year promising a firmer grasp on immigration. But her efforts have not slowed the arrivals. More than 100,000 migrants have landed on Italian shores so far this year, according to […]

Monfalcone set to ban burkini bathing Mayor says no return to Middle Ages

August 14, 2023 Unlisted Author

(ANSA) The seaside resort town of Monfalcone near Gorizia not far from Venice on Monday said it was set to ban women from bathing in burkinis or otherwise clothed. “We are working on the construction of an appropriate measure that prohibits bathing […]

Muslim women harassed at northern Italian beach for wearing modest clothing

August 14, 2023 Savin Mattozzi

(Euronews) A group of Muslim women wearing modest [beachwear] were harassed by a group of women in northern Italy claiming that they can’t go in the water with their clothing. A group of Muslim women were about to enter the water at […]

Italy’s Meloni seeks broad cooperation to stanch flows of migrants to Europe with aid to Africa

July 23, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Sunday called for new, more equal relationships between Europe and migrants’ countries of origin and transit as she convened a summit of some 20 nations, EU officials and international organizations aimed at stanching flows of illegal […]

Italy calls Med migration conference on Tunisia model

July 23, 2023 Gaël Branchereau

(AFP) Italy has invited Mediterranean countries to Rome on Sunday for an “international conference” aimed at extending an EU-backed deal with Tunisia to curb the arrival of migrants to European shores. Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is expecting leaders from the […]

‘Burkini’ row erupts in Italy after mayor criticises Muslim beachgoers The mayor of a northern Italian town has sparked outrage by warning 'Muslim foreigners' to stop swimming 'with their clothes on' when visiting Italian beaches.

July 20, 2023 Clare Speak

(Local) Italy is known for having some of Europe’s stricter rules on covering up in public, with regular reports of outrage over nudity and revealing swimwear. But on Wednesday, one politician from the nationalist League party in northern Italy sparked controversy by […]

Italy’s Meloni faces reality check as migrant flows rise relentlessly

July 13, 2023 Crispian Balmer and Angelo Amante

(Reuters) Just as King Canute failed to hold back the seas, so Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has floundered in her efforts to stop the flow of migrants to Italy since she took office last October. Despite pledges before last year’s national election […]

The leaders of Italy and Poland say European Union should focus on stopping migration

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) The European Union should put a priority on stopping illegal migration instead of trying to persuade the 27 member nations to share responsibility for people who arrive without authorization, the prime ministers of Italy and Poland said Wednesday. Italy’s right-wing leader, […]

Alarm in Italy over law to shutter Muslim prayer spaces Opposition decries ‘unacceptable discrimination’ as Premier Meloni’s far-right party pushes bill that could close down over 1,000 Muslim worship places

June 26, 2023 Giovanni Legorano

(Anadolu) A controversial law proposed by the ruling far-right coalition has again brought Muslims and their places of worship to the fore of Italy’s political discourse. If passed, the law could shut down hundreds of Islamic prayer spaces, a prospect triggering alarm […]

Cargo vessel with suspected terrorist stowaways off Algarve coast Syrian stowaways are both injured, need urgent medical attention

June 22, 2023 Natasha Donn

(Portugal Resident) There is a deal of confusion this morning about the exact whereabouts, sailing plan and situation of cargo vessel Vestvind, sailing under a Portuguese flag, on which two injured Syrians, allegedly wanted in their country for terrorism, were discovered last […]

FdI presents bill to ban mosques in warehouses, garages Opposition says draft legislation is unconstitutional

June 10, 2023 Unlisted Author

(ANSA) Opposition parties have blasted a bill presented by Premier Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party that would ban garages and industrial warehouses and facilities from being used as mosques. Among other things, the opposition parties have expressed doubts about […]

EU countries agree to major migration deal Last-minute concessions to Italy unblocked a deal that could overhaul the EU’s asylum system for the first time in years.

June 8, 2023 Gregorio Sorgi and Jacopo Barigazzi

(Politico) Italy finally gave its blessing. Rome’s green light on Thursday evening unlocked a major deal to overhaul the EU’s asylum procedures for the first time in years after a grueling gathering of home affairs ministers in Luxembourg. “I wasn’t sure this […]

Italy announces arrest of minor belonging to international network of young ISIS supporters

May 30, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Italian authorities have arrested a minor suspected of being a supporter of the ISIS terror network who was allegedly planning an explosive attack in the area where he lived, police said Tuesday. The minor, identified as an Italian citizen of foreign […]

Rights watchdog denounces Italy immigration law as ‘inhumane’

May 12, 2023 Crispian Balmer

(Reuters) A new Italian law that narrows asylum rights in an effort to dissuade migrants from heading to Italy is repressive and inhumane, a leading rights watchdog said on Friday. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s nationalist government drew up the legislation after a […]