Italian police identify pro-Palestinian activist behind 'Movimento 17 ottobre'

Italian anti-terrorism police identified Youssef Siher, a 30-year-old Moroccan-Italian researcher, as the creator of the "Movimento 17 ottobre" Instagram and Telegram channels, and placed him under investigation for incitement to commit crimes with terrorism-related aggravating factors. He was located at an activist's home in Milan. Siher, a freelance journalist and geopolitics researcher, was traced through his IP address with Meta's cooperation and was detained on Thursday evening. He previously interned at the ISPI think tank and collaborated with "Il Fatto Quotidiano," while intelligence agencies had flagged his alleged ties to pro-Palestinian propaganda since 2024. The investigation follows riots in Milan, and Siher's social media posts included criticism of Italian institutions over Gaza and a response to Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's post-October 7, 2023 message with "Allah Akbar." His devices are being analyzed.