Italy arrests nine accused of funnelling millions to Hamas
Italian police said that while the money was collected under the pretext of helping Palestinian civilians, a significant majority of the funds 'were diverted to Hamas's coffers'
The Italian authorities have arrested nine individuals accused of funnelling millions of Euros to Hamas under the guise of fundraising for Palestinian civilians, with the head of the country’s ‘Palestinian Association” among those taken into custody.
A statement from Italian police said that more than 8 million Euros (£7 million) in assets had been seized, including more than 1 million Euros in cash. The operation, which began after 7 October 2023, was sparked when investigators noticed what police described as “a series of reports of suspicious financial transactions”. This led to the uncovering of a “complex fundraising system”, with its headquarters in Genoa and a branch office in Milan.
The police statement went on to say that “The suspects collected donations intended for the civilian population of Gaza. However, it emerged that over 71% of these funds were diverted to Hamas’s coffers to finance its military wing and support the families of suicide bombers or those detained for terrorism.”
Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, said that she wished “to express my appreciation and satisfaction for the operation, of particular complexity and importance, which made it possible to carry out the arrests of nine individuals accused of having financed Hamas, through certain associations purporting to be charitable, for more than seven million euros.
“Among these, Mohammad Mahmoud Ahmad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, described by the investigators as a ‘member of the foreign branch of the terrorist organisation Hamas” and “head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organisation’.
“I express my most heartfelt thanks, both personal and on behalf of the entire Government, to all those who made this operation possible – the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Genoa, the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate, the State Police, the Guardia di Finanza, as well as the informational support provided by AISE – the External Intelligence and Security Agency.”
The country’s Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, went on to say that the operation “tells us that there exists a grey area, a borderline zone, between legitimate support for the Palestinian cause and conduct that can turn into outright support for terrorist activities.”
Speaking to Italian media, Mohammad Hanoun denied any connection to Hamas but said he had always supported them, saying: “I am a Palestinian citizen and publicly support the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people.”
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