Sixteen-year-old arrested on terrorism charges: he was spreading jihadist and neo-Nazi propaganda

A 16-year-old Italian boy, of foreign origin and resident in the province of Como, was arrested in recent days by the State Police in execution of a pre-trial detention order. The operation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Juvenile Court of Milan, was carried out in the province of Grosseto, where the young man was on holiday with his family.

The minor, who has no criminal record and has never previously been linked to radical circles, is under investigation for membership of an organisation with the aim of international terrorism, and for propaganda and incitement to commit offences on grounds of racial, ethnic and religious discrimination.

The investigations, conducted by the Anti-Terrorism Section of the Milan Digos with the support of the Como Digos and the Service for Combating Extremism and Foreign Terrorism, began following a report from the AISI concerning a user active on an instant messaging platform who was disseminating jihadist and pro-ISIS propaganda across multiple profiles. Subsequent investigations traced all the profiles back to the 16-year-old, who frequently used VPNs and other obfuscation tools to access a well-known propaganda site of the so-called Islamic State.

A personal and digital search carried out in recent weeks has strengthened the case against him: numerous digital files relating to Islamic State in various languages were found, along with propaganda videos and images depicting training and executions, as well as supremacist and neo-Nazi material. In the conversations analysed, the young man is said to have expressed explicit support for ISIS, stating that he had previously contributed to the production of the organisation’s propaganda content. A video in Russian – a language he understands – was also found, bearing the Islamic State logo and relating to the construction of an improvised explosive device using readily available materials.

These elements, which investigators believe confirm an advanced process of radicalisation and links to individuals associated with Daesh, have prompted the Milan Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office to apply to the investigating magistrate for the precautionary measure.

The case is at the preliminary investigation stage: the suspect’s liability will have to be established during the trial.