ROME - Police have arrested a Moroccan 'foreign fighter' near the Calabrian town of Cosenza.

  Hamil Mehdi, a 25-year-old street vendor, denied being a member of ISIS and said he had recently visited Turkey "only to pray”, despite claims from authorities that he was attempting to reach Syria to join ISIS.

  Cosenza police chief Luigi Liguori revealed that anti-terrorism DIGOS law enforcement agents had been following Mehdi since last July, after Turkish authorities blocked him at the Istanbul airport and sent him back to Italy.

  Italian authorities claimed that Mehdi was instead planning to move to Belgium, had a "dogged interest for images, films and other propaganda content referring to ISIS", and "a natural propensity" to join the ISIS cause.

  In Luzzi, the Calabrian town where Mehdi and his family have their home, Mayor Manfredo Tedesco said he and local residents are surprised by the arrest.

  "The young Moroccan and his family were perfectly integrated into our community," said Tedesco. "Our entire community is truly speechless".

  Mehdi arrived in Luzzi in 2006 with his parents and three younger brothers, all of whom have permanent stay permits.

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