ROME. – Italian authorities made arrests this week Nine people are linked to three charities suspected of raising millions of dollars in funds for the Palestinian terror group Hamasas anti-terrorism prosecutors reported in a statement this Saturday.
The suspects are accused of sending around 7 million euros (around 8.2 million US dollars). “Associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian Territories or Israel that are owned, controlled by or affiliated with Hamas,” according to the statement.
Suspicious banking transactions were detected in the accounts of Hannoun and his associates, the General Prosecutor of Genoa clarified. Nicola Piacente.
Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, President of the Palestinian Association in Italy, prosecutors said, describing him as the “Head of the Italian cell of the Hamas organization.” The European Union has Hamas on its list of terrorist organizations.
Hannoun was about to finally travel to Türkiye to relocate his financing activities for the terrorist organization. For this reason, according to the investigating judge Silvia CarpaniniThere was a “concrete and very present risk of escape” for the signatory of the preventive detention order.
He was also arrested Ra’Ed Hussny Mousa Dawoud, Considered a member of Hamas’ foreign branch and Hannoun’s contact in the Italian cell. Another of those arrested is Osama Alisawi, alleged member of Hamas, where he served as transport minister in Gaza’s de facto government.
According to Italian prosecutors who cooperated with other EU countries in the investigation, the illegal funds were delivered via the Internet “Triangulation operations” through bank transfers or through organizations based abroad to Gaza-based associations declared illegal by Israel due to their ties to Hamas.
Those arrested are accused of having donated altogether 7.28 million euros went to Hamas over the years. The funds were officially collected for humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian population in Genoa and elsewhere in Italy and abroad, but investigators believe that “more than 71% went directly to financing Hamas or associations linked or controlled by it, as well as all branches of the terrorist organization.”
The Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosiwrote in
The Prime Minister, for her part, Giorgia Meloni, He also commented: “I would like to express my gratitude and satisfaction for this particularly complex and important operation, which led to the arrest of nine people accused of financing Hamas through various alleged charities for more than 7 million euros.”
“I express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made this operation possible, both personally and on behalf of the entire government: the Genoa Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate, the State Police, the Guardia di Finanza, as well as the information support provided by the Agency for External Information and Security,” Meloni added.
There were no statements from the suspects or the associations.
In January 2023, the European Council decided to extend the existing restrictive measures 12 individuals and three organizations that support funding for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
AP and ANSA agencies.
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