Potenza, association for the purpose of international terrorism and subversion. Minor arrested by the State Police

On October 23, the State Police of Potenza, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Juvenile Court of Potenza, proceeded to arrest in flagrante delicto a fourteen-year-old from Potenza for the crime referred to in art. 270 bis, 2nd paragraph of the Criminal Code.

Under arrest, carried out by the DIGOS police officers of the Potenza Police Headquarters and the Service for the Countering of Extremism and External Terrorism of the Central Directorate of Prevention Police, it was reached following the evidence that emerged in the context of the info-investigative activity of the Information and Security Agencies, aimed at monitoring the jihadist digital community: this activity highlighted the presence of the minor in an Instagram group composed of followers of the Islamic State (IS).

Further investigations by investigators have revealed that the same person, active in the creation and publication of pro-IS content and user of videos showing suicide attacks prepared by minors, is also the owner of two Telegram groups created to bring together supporters of the Islamic State (IS) and promote the creation of an IS wilava (province) in Italy.

In light of what was found during the investigations, The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Juvenile Court of Potenza ordered a personal, local, domiciliary and computer search, carried out on 23 October, which allowed the collection of objective elements to support the initial investigative hypotheses, including the manifest intention to carry out counter-indicated actions in the short term on the national territory, as well as finding, among other things, objects capable of offending and ammunition, the offensive nature of which is currently being ascertained.

The arrest, in the hearing held on October 25 at the Juvenile Court of Potenza, was validated by the GIP who, on the morning of Saturday October 26, upon lifting the reservation, ordered the application of the precautionary measure of placing the minor in a community, considering that there were serious indications of guilt in relation to the crimes contested, also in view of an effective intervention to support and recover the minor in consideration of his very young age.