Khalil Ullah

Khalil Ullah (alias Khabil), born on October 1, 1987, in Noakhali, Bangladesh, and long settled in Castel Goffredo, Mantua, Italy. A husband and father of two daughters, regularly employed since 2008 at the textile company, Ullah outwardly appeared as a well-integrated migrant, active within the local Bangladeshi religious community, where he was a respected member of the Jamaat Tabligh movement. Yet, behind this public image, he was accused of playing the role of radical preacher and recruiter, fostering jihadist ideology among young members of his community and pushing at least one of them, Faysal Rahman, towards unconditional adherence to violent jihad. His name had surfaced in another investigation in Genoa, which had led to the final conviction of Faysal Rahman, a young man linked to the Pakistani terrorist group Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), considered an offshoot of al-Qaeda.
Initially investigated for participation in a terrorist association under Article 270 bis of the Italian Penal Code, Ullah’s conduct was later judicially reclassified as recruitment under Article 270 quater. The reasoning of the Genoa court makes clear that while no concrete evidence emerged of direct ties between Ullah and al-Qaeda or other structured organizations, his actions towards Rahman and other minors amounted to a process of indoctrination and incitement with a clear terrorist purpose. The turning point of the investigation came in mid-2023. Between August and September of that year, Ullah and Rahman maintained constant contact. By autumn, Ullah was not only encouraging the young man Rahman but also explicitly validating his radical transformation by watching and praising the videos in which Rahman sang jihadist nasheeds. This demonstration of full support for the disciple’s “definitive and radical choice” was decisive in the court’s view: what had been until then a fascination with jihadist propaganda became, under Ullah’s guidance, a true leap in quality, an irreversible passage to active recruitment. Judges reconstructed in detail how Ullah exploited Rahman’s malleability, presenting violent struggle and the extermination of infidels as inseparable from the “truth” of Islam, portraying martyrdom as the only righteous path for the faithful. Through this indoctrination, Ullah effectively guided him towards full and unconditional adherence to jihad. For this reason, the court concluded that his conduct fell within Article 270 quater, which punishes anyone who, outside the framework of organized association under Article 270 bis, recruits one or more persons for violent acts with terrorist purposes.
The investigation also uncovered Ullah’s influence over other young followers. Analysis of his phone in November 2023 revealed contacts with very young Bengalis. Through WhatsApp groups, frequent calls, and the sharing of sermons and documents, Ullah maintained a relationship of master and pupil, urging them to sing and record nasheeds glorifying violent jihad. Videos found on Ullah’s phone showed him alongside young followers inside the mosque of Castel Goffredo, actively participating in these chants. His conduct, far from generic propaganda, was judged as targeted instigation, aimed at specific persons, and thus falling under Article 270 quater and Article 302 of the Penal Code. Alongside indoctrination, evidence also emerged of Ullah’s involvement in discussions about passports and documents to facilitate the clandestine entry of Bangladeshi citizens into the Schengen area. In one intercepted conversation, Ullah referred to those arrivals as “our mujaheddin.” Though no operational connection with terrorist organizations was proven, this expression added to suspicions of his role as facilitator of a broader radical network.
In the face of these findings, the Genoa court, with its ordinance of early 2025, applied the measure of house arrest at his residence in Castel Goffredo, with prohibition of contact with anyone outside his household and lawyer. The judges considered pre-trial detention unnecessary, given his lack of criminal record and stable ties to the territory, but emphasized the real danger of recidivism in indoctrination and recruitment activities, which could not be prevented by milder measures. Thus, Khalil Ullah’s biography crystallizes as the story of a man who, while fully integrated socially and professionally, used his religious authority to systematically approach young and immature members of his community, seducing them with chants, promises, and a distorted vision of Islam centered on violence and martyrdom. His case reflects the “liquid” nature of contemporary jihadist networks, where recruitment and indoctrination may occur outside rigid organizational structures, through informal channels, domestic settings, and charismatic relationships, yet with no less dangerous effects.