A large-scale operation against the financing of international terrorism has led to the arrest of nine people and the seizure of assets worth over eight million euros.

The measures were carried out by DIGOS officers from Genoa, in coordination with the Central Directorate of Prevention Police, together with the Economic and Financial Police Unit and the Special Currency Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza.

The precautionary measures—personal and real—were ordered by the preliminary investigations judge of the Court of Genoa, at the request of the District Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate (DDA). In addition to the nine suspects arrested, the measure also concerns three associations deemed instrumental in the fundraising and transfer system.

According to the prosecution's hypothesis, the suspects were members of and financed Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, “Islamic Resistance Movement”), an organization designated as terrorist by the European Union for both its political and military wings.

The charges were brought, during the preliminary investigation, on the basis of conspiracy to commit terrorism (Article 270 bis of the Criminal Code).

The investigation, initiated and coordinated by the Genoa DDA at the instigation of the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate , stems from the analysis of reports of suspicious financial transactions and was developed thanks to close investigative cooperation with other Italian judicial offices and with the authorities of the Netherlands and other European Union states, including in the context of meetings organized by Eurojust.

Investigators are alleging financing transactions amounting to approximately seven million euros, deemed crucial to supporting the terrorist organization's activities. The transfers were also allegedly carried out through complex triangulations, via wire transfers and foreign channels, using formally charitable organizations based in Italy and abroad.

The funds, according to the prosecution, would have flowed to associations active in Gaza, the Palestinian Territories or Israel , declared illegal by the State of Israel because they were linked to or controlled by Hamas, or directly to members of the movement, including Osama Alisawi, a former minister in the de facto Hamas government in Gaza.

Part of the funding was also earmarked to support the families of attackers or those detained for terrorism-related crimes , thus strengthening – according to investigators – the organization's strategy and encouraging participation in the armed struggle.

At the centre of the investigation are three associations in particular :

Charitable Association in Solidarity with the Palestinian People (ABSPP), based in Genoa, established in 1994;

ABSPP ODV, founded in 2003, also based in Genoa;

La Cupola d'Oro Charitable Association, established in Milan in December 2023.

According to the DDA, these associations had raised funds declared to be for humanitarian aid, but in reality a significant portion – over 71% – had been diverted to Hamas or entities linked to it.

The central figure in the investigation is Mohammad Mahmoud Ahmad Hannoun, believed to be a top figure in Hamas's foreign branch and leader of the organization's alleged "Italian cell."

He is accused of having managed, either formally or de facto, the associations involved and of having paid, from 2001 to today, over 7.2 million euros to the terrorist organization, diverting resources from the real needs of the civilian population of Gaza.

According to the indictment, other members of Hamas's foreign wing active in Italy worked alongside him , including Dawoud Ra'Ed Hussny Mousa, Al Salahat Raed, Elasaly Yaser, Albustanji Riyad Abdelrahim Jaber, and Osama Alisawi himself. In various capacities, they shared operational decisions, promoted fundraising, managed association branches, and oversaw money transfers.

Three additional suspects—Abu Rawwa Adel Ibrahim Salameh, Abu Deiah Khalil, and Abdu Saleh Mohammed Ismail—are accused of external complicity: despite not being members of the organization, they allegedly provided ongoing financial support to Hamas. Specifically, Abu Deiah Khalil is accused of creating the "Golden Dome" and opening bank accounts to circumvent international financial blockades.

The investigative effort was extensive: wiretaps and environmental surveillance, monitoring of financial flows, and the acquisition—including through undercover operations—of documents and messages stored on the server at the ABSPP headquarters in Genoa, as well as material transmitted by Israeli authorities as part of international judicial cooperation.

According to investigators, Hamas has over time developed a veritable European network of ostensibly charitable organizations , tasked with promoting the movement's image and, above all, funding its coffers. ABSPP and ABSPP ODV are said to be the Italian branch of this network, in contact with similar organizations in the Netherlands, Austria, France, and the United Kingdom.

Investigators note that Hamas has been responsible for numerous attacks over the years, culminating in the attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of nearly 200 hostages.

(Unioneonline)

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