As part of an investigation conducted by the Chief Prosecutor, Dr. Giuseppe AMATO and the Deputy Prosecutor, D. Antonella SCANDELLARI, the Bologna Public Prosecutor issued, on 10.02.2020, a detention order for the suspect of a crime against a Tunisian citizen for the crime of training in activities for terrorism, including international purposes, art. 270 quinquies of the penal code.
The measure, the result of the investigation carried out by the Anti-terrorism Section of DIGOS of Bologna and Parma and by the Postal Police Department of Bologna - with the coordination of the Central Prevention Police Department - Service for the Contrast of Extremism and External Terrorism - and of the Postal and Communications Police Service, is based on the serious circumstantial elements against the suspect in relation to the crime of self-training in activities with the purpose of terrorism, as well as by the existence of the well-founded danger of escape following repeated trips made by subject in Tunisia without news of his movements having emerged.
On 11 February, DIGOS staff from Bologna and Parma and the Bologna Police Department carried out the detention of the Tunisian, who was constantly monitored by Digos staff, notifying him of the provision, carrying out a home search and associating him with the prison Parma High Security Service, available to the Bologna AG.
The investigation originates in the activity of contrasting cyberterrorism, carried out in the early stages by the Postal and Communications Police Department of Perugia, in collaboration with the territorial DIGOS, which allowed, by means of "coverage" accounts, to identify a WhatsApp profile inserted in a group called "strangers".
The group, whose logo showed a representative image of the Islamic State, also had the purpose of exchanging propaganda messages. The user of the profile identified was also located in two other WhatsApp groups: "the songs of the Islamic state" and "the army of the caliphate".
The target, active in the groups, was constantly monitored; so it could be seen that the user, over time, proceeded to modify the image of his profile, exhibiting a photograph depicting three automatic submachine guns (AK47).
The staff of the Postal Police, thanks to a punctual Osint (Open Source Intelligence) activity, verified that the account observed belonged to an Italian mobile user, used by a young (24 years old) construction worker, of Tunisian origins, regularly residing in the national territory but actually located in the province of Parma.
The investigations, consequently entrusted to the Prosecutor of Bologna because of their territorial competence, were delegated to the Postal and Communications Police Department of Bologna and jointly with the DIGOS of Bologna and Parma.
In this context, the Postal Police Department acquired further elements of assessment on the personality of the man, allowing for the identification of two other Facebook profiles that can be linked to him, from which there was a marked inclination to the culture of the Islamic State and to the armed struggle, not sparing appreciation ( like) and subscriptions to pages dedicated to them.
Over time, the worsening of the dangerous conduct of the subject, detected by the constant monitoring of the social profiles in use, allowed the Public Prosecutor of Bologna to issue a decree of personal, local and IT search against him, an activity carried out in June 2019 by staff of the Postal Police of Bologna in collaboration with the territorial DIGOS.
During the search, a cell phone and several documents of considerable investigative value were seized.
The analysis carried out by the staff of DIGOS and the Postal Police of Bologna concerned the smartphone data that revealed the presence of thousands of images with photos depicting some of the most important members, scenes of war in the Middle Eastern territories and capital executions and 40 explanatory videos of the various operating techniques used by jihadist groups as well as instructions or better "lessons" to reach the packaging of craft bombs through the use of easy and daily available material. There are also cards with "tips" where they were illustrated, operational activities to make Molotov and ANFO-type bombs, on combat techniques, and recommendations to evade pursuers, avoid capture and, among other things, useful techniques to free yourself from a handcuffing, as well as methods for concealing a corpse, but also techniques for disarming and defending against armed threats.
The documents found (also on paper) showed important elements relating to the growing process of radicalization of the Tunisian having evident signs of adhesion and exaltation of the jihad and / or martyrdom of Muslim subjects in tribute to Allah (also emerging in some videos found in memory) mobile phone).
In addition to this circumstantial picture, other important elements emerged following the analyzes carried out by DIGOS of the telephone contact data which show the inclusion of the suspect in an international relational circle of subjects belonging to jihadist circles. These are contacts detected in telematic communication platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp that are difficult to intercept and telephone contacts with foreign users referable to foreign countries Tunisia, Algeria, Philippines, Yemen, Great Britain, United States and others that have shown sequences and coincidences significant in relation to the data of the files downloaded and stored in the mobile phone.
In light of these elements, the investigating judge of the Court of Parma on 13.02.2020, validated the freeze of the Prosecutor of Bologna and applied to the suspect the pre-trial detention in prison claiming that "... There are, therefore, serious indications of guilt at loading of the detained in order to the crime referred to in art. 270 quinquies of the Criminal Code ", which" .. has carried out unequivocally behaviors aimed at the commission of terrorist conduct pursuant to art. 270 sexies of the Criminal Code "and that" ... must be assessed as concrete, specific and unequivocal conduct of the suspect aimed at self-training to carry out a terrorist program proposed by the multiple jihadist structures affiliated to ISIS ... ".
Further investigations are also underway in relation to the development of the seized material and contacts relating to national and international contexts.