A 15-year-old teenager was re-arrested in Florence for recruiting for the purpose of international terrorism after having previously been arrested for the same crime, said Italian state police on Wednesday.
According to a statement regarding the arrest, the teen had declared himself “ready to act” and received instructions on how to choose a target for a terror attack in chats with individuals linked to Islamist extremism.
The suspect was originally arrested for similar actions months ago and was held in a community detention center until he was released on probation.
Suspect began engaging with terror-linked individuals after release
Shortly after his release, he once again began interacting with social media profiles used by members of Daesh, a jihadist terrorist organization active mainly in Syria and Iraq, Italian authorities stated.
Italy’s Committee for Strategic Anti-Terrorism Analysis and the Central Directorate of the Prevention Police had been actively monitoring the suspect and noticed his online activity.
Florence’s General Investigations and Special Operations Division was then notified of the activity, and the suspect’s phone was seized by law enforcement.
The phone was analyzed, and information found on the device confirmed that the suspect had repeatedly contacted individuals linked to Islamist extremism through social messaging platforms, leading to his rearrest.