Italian police arrest protest leader after finding scheduled Telegram messages on seized laptop

Italian authorities arrested Youssef Siher, alleged leader of the October 17 Movement, after finding pre-scheduled Telegram messages on his seized laptop that were set to coordinate protests across Italian cities on October 24. He faces charges of instigating crime with terrorist intent. Police found two scheduled messages on Siher's password-free HP EliteBook, set for 14:31 and 15:31 on October 24, which would have directed protesters to assembly points and final destinations. The messages never sent, as Postal Police intervention blocked their publication. Investigators had tracked Siher for four days before his arrest, linking the Telegram account "@meziyo" to his phone number through platform data obtained on October 20. The investigation also revealed Siher allegedly used an AI portal for information on "revolutionary strategies" and possessed a document titled "Revolution, instructions for use.pdf," inspired by Egypt's 2011 uprising. His wife, Sagia Hammoud, is also under investigation as co-administrator of the group, which had 6,153 Telegram subscribers and 18,200 Instagram followers.