Italy: Police Thwart Terrorist Knife Attack in Support of ISIS

Yet another reminder for us in the West that the terrorists who support ISIS are still walking among us, preparing to strike. In Reggio Emilia, Italian police have arrested a 22-year-old Italian citizen of Moroccan origin for planning to carry out a knife attack on behalf of ISIS.

The article below in Il Giornale is translated by Fousesquawk. I should note that the writer, Giulia Sorrentino, has been subjected to numerous threats for her reporting on Islamist terrorism and migrant crime in Italy.

22-year-old arrested in Reggio Emilia: Follower of ISIS and ready to carry out an attack

22-year-old Italian with Moroccan origin arrested by police of Reggio Emilia and Bologna for the crime of recruiting for the purpose of international terrorism,

-Giulia Sorrentino  25 May 2026 at 17:04

The followers of the Islamic State are multiplying in Italy, and the latest troubling case involves the arrest of a 22-year-old Italian, of Moroccan origin by Italian police of Reggio Emilia and Bologna for the crime of recruiting for the purpose of international terrorism. A very young guy, who, according to what Il Giornale has learned, had decided to go into the city center with a knife and with the clear intent to injure other people. The action by law enforcement was immediate, also because on the evening in which the attacker had decided to strike, there was an important basketball game scheduled with thousands of spectators, as well as a musical event in San Prospero Square, an extremely crowded city center.

In short, the perfect place to act, as intended, on behalf of the Islamic State.  But the subject was not unknown to our authorities: He was already under surveillance since 2024, when he was arrested in Germany for some crimes committed there and for having several times manifested his willingness to act on behalf of Islamic terrorists. The 22-year-old, in fact, reportedly had contacts with a presumed supporter of Daesh (ISIS), who reportedly offered to instruct him and finance him to carry out an attack in Italy or abroad, and to whom the young man had reportedly consented, declaring himself, yet again, a supporter of the Islamic State. 

“In the name of the Parliamentary group, Fratelli d’Italia, in the Chamber (of Deputies), I express thanks and full appreciation for the timely and effective intervention by the State Police of Reggio Emilia and Bologna, which allowed the arrest of a subject accused of recruitment for the purpose of international terrorism. The operation confirms the high professionalism of our law enforcement and the importance of the daily work of prevention and countering the threats to public safety.

In a delicate moment in the international context, it is fundamental to repeat that the security of the nation is a shared responsibility that requires institutional collaboration, constant attention, and unity of purpose on the part of all political and social forces,” stated the group leader of Fratelli d’Italia in the Chamber of Deputies, Galeazzo Bignami.