Susanna Riva On the morning of November 4, 2026, the Operations Unit of the Varese Provincial Command held a 27-year-old man, resident in Luinese, in pre-trial detention for a series of terrorism-related offenses. The arrest was carried out by order of the investigating judge of the Milan Court, at the request of the Anti-Terrorism Section of the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office.
The man, of Tunisian origin, was charged with apology for the Islamic State , incitement to join the organization, and possession of terrorist material. After his arrest, he was transferred to the Varese prison, where he remains at the disposal of the judicial authorities during the preliminary investigation.
The gesture that triggered the investigation
The investigation began last March, when the local police received a complaint regarding a series of crossbow shots fired into a neighbor's garden.
The search carried out at the young man's home led to the seizure of the weapon and its ammunition, thus documenting the suspect's possession of weapons and ammunition .
Social media surveys
Subsequent investigations conducted by the Varese Carabinieri Station allowed them to analyze the subject's digital profiles. On WhatsApp , the man had posted a profile picture accompanied by a phrase containing death threats directed at the United States and Israel, along with extremely violent videos.
On the public Telegram channel , however, the ISIS flag was present , together with the sacred Shahada inscribed in a propaganda manner.
Authorities also identified a series of internet searches aimed at downloading and viewing videos of summary executions and human rights violations, all attributable to jihadist propaganda . Furthermore, the suspect had shared this content with third parties, facilitating the dissemination of terrorist material.
A path of individual radicalization
Although the investigation revealed no formal links to terrorist organizations or direct contact with the Islamic State , the Carabinieri reconstructed a clear path of radicalization of Islamic extremist origin. The young man independently developed operational skills and technical knowledge thanks to access to ideological content and violent videos, undertaking self-training aimed at building operational capabilities.
The case highlights how the combination of online propaganda and the practice of improvised weapons exercises can pose a concrete risk to public safety, even in the absence of an organized network. The case is still in the preliminary investigation phase, and according to the principle of the presumption of innocence, the 27-year-old's criminal responsibility will be confirmed only following a potential trial.