The arrest took place at dawn, in Milan. Italian police announced on Tuesday the arrest of two men suspected of financing the Islamic State (IS) organization and disseminating jihadist propaganda. The two men, an Egyptian and an Italian of Egyptian origin, are suspected of “participation, association and incitement to commit a crime for the purposes of terrorism,” police said.
According to a statement from Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola, the suspects were “extremely active in propaganda and proselytizing online on behalf of ISIS,” an organization to which they pledged allegiance.
No link with the Brussels attack
According to the AGI agency, they sent money to widows of IS fighters as well as to an IS member. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani on Tuesday welcomed the arrest of “two IS militants”, defending a “hard line against terrorism”.
The AGI agency indicates that these arrests have no link with the attack on Monday evening in Brussels during which two Swedes were killed. The alleged perpetrator was fatally injured during his arrest by the police on Tuesday morning in the Belgian capital, a spokesperson for the federal prosecutor’s office told AFP.