Looks like some rioters have the police on their tail after a group chat leaked. Didn’t we tell you to stop playing around on those darn group chats, kids?
Italian police cracked a WhatsApp group with more than 230 members who were busy planning to beat up cops, burn government buildings, and loot businesses, including a Gucci store, during riots that tore through Milan. Nothing says serious political movement like plotting a smash-and-grab at a luxury handbag shop.
Investigators launched roughly 150 searches across multiple Italian provinces after discovering the group and the violent conversations inside it. Among the gems they found: knives, brass knuckles, a baton, firearms, and a hatchet with “1312” engraved on it, the numerical code for “ACAB,” which stands for “all cops are bastards.” Real intellectuals, these guys.
The investigation zeroed in on Youseff Siher, a Moroccan academic with a background in Islamic studies, whose arrest gave police access to his phone and, with it, the group chat. One message inside the chat helpfully advised members not to put their ski masks on right away so they could avoid police detection. Investigators tracked down the teenager behind that message and found a balaclava and an Under Armour shirt believed to be stolen at his home. A future criminal mastermind, clearly. You can follow the Milan riots investigation for the latest details as Italian authorities continue their sweep.
The conversations in the group weren’t exactly subtle. “Let’s grab one, beat him up and take his weapon,” one member wrote, referring to police officers, according to EuroNews. Another contributed, “Hey guys, if we’re going to protest, let’s set fire to a government building.” Riveting political philosophy. Rousseau would be proud.
As of now, Siher is exercising his right to remain silent, which is probably the smartest thing anyone involved in this whole operation has done. Italian authorities are continuing a separate investigation into a researcher accused of inciting violence with terrorist intent, so the legal headaches for the people in that group chat are likely just getting started.
Europe keeps discovering, the hard way, that ignoring violent radicalism until it’s torching your city centers is not actually a winning strategy. Milan learned that lesson on a painful night, and Italian law enforcement is now doing the cleanup work that should have happened a lot sooner.
