Italy repatriates two Moroccans suspected of Islamist sympathies

A middle-aged Moroccan couple who was living in northern Italy has been forcibly repatriated because of their suspected Islamist sympathies, Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Friday.

Khachia Brahim and Loumiy Zhour, aged 59 and 50 respectively, lived in the Varese province, north-west of Milan and were put on a plane to Casablanca. They are the 87th and 88th persons to be expelled from Italy since 2015 for posing a threat to national security.

"They shared the extremist ideology of their sons," Alfano said in a statement, reporting that one had died in Syria as a foreign fighter for the Islamic State, while another was arrested during an Italian anti-terrorism raid on 28 April.

The minister added that Khachia "played a key role" in organising his late son's transfer to Syria. According to press reports published after last month's arrests, he wanted his other son to follow the same course.    (dpa)

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