Marwen Ben Saad

Marwen Ben Saad was born in Tunisia on 12 October 1987. He was one of the individuals implicated in a complex Italian counterterrorism investigation named ‘Taliban’, which was carried out in the 2010s. He arrived in Italy in 2015 after applying for a residence permit to study. At the time of his arrest, he was detained at Sassari Bancali Prison. He had already been placed in pre-trial detention, first in prison and then under house arrest in the provinces of Pisa and Varese, on charges of drug trafficking, based on evidence gathered during this investigation. His case exemplified how expressions of religious solidarity and grief online were misinterpreted within a broader context of jihadist paranoia in Europe.

Ben Saad was accused of showing support for jihadist causes through his social media activity. He was said to have shared funeral tributes for deceased ISIS fighters, commented on videos depicting battles in Aleppo and ‘liked’ posts about foreign fighters. Investigators also linked him to Ansar al-Sharia, though this alleged involvement was based solely on references to a 2012 rally led by Abu Ayad, a Tunisian cleric who was later killed in a US airstrike.

According to prosecutors, Ben Saad publicly mourned the deaths of friends who had joined ISIS, referring to them as ‘martyrs’. He was briefly detained in Tunisia in 2016 for allegedly supporting jihadist causes, but was released without charge after three days. However, his recorded conversations revealed a more nuanced position: he openly criticised extremist violence, lamented the killing of civilians and mocked radical ideologues.

Italian investigators tracked Ben Saad’s online and offline activities between 2014 and 2016. His Facebook posts, videos and comments formed the basis of the evidence for the accusations under articles 270 bis and 414 of the Penal Code. Surveillance operations revealed his frequent contact with other Tunisians under scrutiny, such as Afli and Mejri, as well as his awareness of police monitoring. Despite these associations, however, no evidence of operational terrorist involvement was found.

Ultimately, the court found no proof that Ben Saad had promoted or participated in terrorism. His posts were deemed to be expressions of grief rather than propaganda. The judicial panel emphasised his integration into Italian society, his non-radical lifestyle and his opposition to violence. Consequently, Ben Saad was acquitted of all charges.