ROME – An Egyptian man has been arrested in the Apulian city of Foggia and accused of being an associate for the Islamist terrorist group ISIS, after having made comments online in support of the group, in a case that is likely to be seized upon by Italy’s right-wing populists, with accusations that he indoctrinated children.

 Abdel Rahman, 58,  was married to an Italian national and had naturalised as a citizen of the country.

 He was arrested as part of a joint counter-terrorism operation between the Italian police and the Finance Guard, codenamed “Bad Teacher.” The operation was co-ordinated by anti-mafia authorities in Bari.

 Though now in custody, the man was the President of the association and Islamic centre, “Al Dawa” in Poggia, and had conducted religious instruction for children as part of the role. He is accused by investigators of telling the children in his classes, who were aged between four and 10 years old, that the only way to go to heaven was to die in battle.  

 The revelations of the involvement of the centre is likely to fuel anti-Islamic sentiment in Italy. Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Northern League, has previously attacked such centres as tools for radicalisation.

 Police had been receording the lessons for some month. They announced that in one of the recordings Rahman urged the children to violence. "I invite you to fight the unbelievers, with your swords cutting their heads, with your explosive belts exploding their heads into the air."

 Investigators made three searches of properties used by Rahman, including his home, in a series of dawn raids across the city. The Finance Guard announced that they had begun searches on the religious centre, and had seized the current accounts of the accused.   

 Police announced that he had been arrested relating to the suspicion of three offences. Participation in the terrorist association called Isis/Daesh, aggravated use of information technology, and on suspicion of being an apologist for the group.

 tw