Egyptian man with ties to ISIS terrorist group arrested in Foggia

A 58-year-old Egyptian man with alleged ties to ISIS was arrested in Foggia today. He was brought in following a joint anti-terrorism sweep by Digos (The General Investigations and Special Operations Division) and the Guardia di Finanza (a militarized Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance).

The operation, which was coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, led to the arrest of the suspected terrorist who heads a cultural association in Foggia called “Al Dawa” and is married to an Italian woman. For now, his work is being investigated and his current accounts have been frozen.

The man was teaching religion to the children of the Islamic cultural center of Foggia. The police raid was completed in three searches at dawn, at home and at work. Suspicions regarding his activities were raised after investigators discovered he was disseminating extremist information on his social media accounts. Through Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter messages, he would praise the jihad, share instructions on how to build weapons with the purpose of using them on Italy — their main target, “to destroy the churches and turn them into mosques,” investigators explained.

The Organized Crime Investigation Group (GICO) — part of the Italian Guardia di Finanza in Bari — is currently leading the investigation and declared an urgent seizure on the headquarters of the cultural association “Al Dawa” in addition to that of his current accounts. GICO is a Special Police force that combats international drugs trafficking, money laundering, terrorist financing and illegal immigration among others.

Source: Lastampa