Rome, 16 September (LaPresse) – On Saturday 13 September, the State Police app YouPol received a report of an Instagram profile containing posts inciting terrorist acts, including against Italian citizens. Immediate investigations by the International Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Digos in Florence led to the identification of the author, a 63-year-old Syrian citizen with a police record, who was reported for propaganda and incitement to commit crimes on grounds of racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, aggravated by the purpose of hatred. The profile had published videos glorifying the actions of Hamas, calls to repeat attacks such as those of 11 September 2001 in the United States, and images of a weapon in a holster. The man, who never showed his face, was tracked down in the Isolotto district of Florence thanks to details in the videos and analysis of surveillance cameras. Once arrested, a search of his home led to the seizure of the gun seen in the videos – which turned out to be a blank-firing pistol – a dagger, a fixed-blade knife and several electronic devices, which are now being examined by investigators. At the end of the operation, the man was reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Florence and transferred to a repatriation centre, awaiting expulsion from the country.
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