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Milan Woman Investigated for Terror Apology After Hezbollah Flag at Liberation Day March

Prosecutors say seized devices and an Instagram account with dozens of flagged posts may show promotion of Hezbollah’s armed wing via social media.

Overview

  • Carabinieri del ROS carried out dawn searches of the woman’s Milan home and registered cars on Thursday and seized phones and computers for forensic analysis.
  • The 34-year-old Portuguese resident has been registered in a Milan prosecutor’s investigation for instigation and apologia of international terrorism and is due to be questioned by investigators.
  • Investigators identified an Instagram profile tied to her with about 3,390 followers and have isolated 46 posts and a biography line that prosecutors cite as evidence of support for Iran and Hezbollah.
  • Prosecutors frame the case around use of telematic systems as an aggravating factor and note that the EU lists Hezbollah’s armed wing, the External Security Organisation, as a terrorist group while not listing the movement as a whole.
  • Four other people are also lodged in the same investigative file which could increase scrutiny of political symbols at public commemorations and of social-media activity tied to foreign armed groups.