Milan Police Foil Suspected Terror Plot Targeting Jewish Community

Police in Milan, Italy, announced on Saturday that they had arrested a 22-year-old man suspected of planning an attack against Jewish targets in the city, including Milan’s central synagogue on Via della Guastalla.

According to police, the suspect identified as a white supremacist and denied the Holocaust. Investigators believe he had conducted reconnaissance at potential targets, researched methods for carrying out a mass-casualty attack, and begun collecting chemicals to manufacture explosive devices.

The investigation revealed that the suspect had extensively researched how to construct explosive devices, modify firearms, and potentially use dangerous chemical and biological agents.

A search of his digital devices reportedly uncovered neo-Nazi propaganda, Holocaust denial materials, and a 12-page ideological manifesto described as a “will,” in which he declared that his war had already begun.

Police believe the suspect was influenced in part by the writings of Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik and may have been planning to carry out the attack alone.

The 22-year-old was arrested by a specialized counterterrorism unit and remains under investigation on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses.