Milan: 5 arrested on suspicion of international terrorism
The members of two households, converted to Islam and identified by Milan security police, were arrested on charges of international terrorism. This morning, police executed five pre-trial detention orders - issued by Milan prosecutors. Five other people are still wanted.
The detainees are three Italian nationals and two Albanians, one of whom was caught in Albania, all determined to join the jihad in Syria.
The investigations conducted by the Milan security police DIGOS focused on the link between the two families: a young Italian woman, 27, converted to Islam, married an Albanian last September and left to Syria together with her husband to join the self-proclaimed caliphate.
It was an arranged marriage, celebrated to allow the young Italian to travel to Syria, hence the name of the operation "Martesë", that in Albanian means marriage.
From telephone wiretaps it soon became clear to investigators that other household members were willing to reach the couple in Syria to join the Is.
A key point of the investigation were interceptions of a coordinator of the foreign fighters who had undertaken to send other members of the family to Syria to join the mujahedeen.
The operation took place this morning in Milan, Bergamo, Grosseto, and in an Albanian town, where the arrest was made in collaboration with the
International Police Cooperation Centre (SCIP).