Abdulkarim Haj Osman

Abdulkarim Haj Osman, born on October 7, 1972, in Edlib, Syria, was living in Olbia. He was also known by his aliases such as Abu Jihad, Samir Thalgfh, and El Karim Otman Abd.
His arrest in 2018 can be considered as an extension of the 2015 DIGOS operation, which led to the arrest of Sultan Wali Khan, a Pakistani man allegedly in charge of an Islamist cell close to al-Qaeda. According to the prosecution, Abdulkarim Haj Osman was part of a terrorist network directed and organised by Anwar Daadoue, operating in Italy and with branches in several European countries that was financially supporting Jabhat al-Nusra.
Haj Osman was ordered by authorities a pre-trial detention and, alongside Anwar Daadoue, Mustafa Chaddad, and Lahoucine Air Wahmane, he was accused of terrorism participation and terrorism financing. In particular, he was charged under article 270 bis of the Italian Penal Code, and under Law 16 March 2006 no. 146 for having taken part in a transnational association under the directives of Daadoue based in Italy, Sweden, Germany, Syria and Turkey with the aim of committing terrorist acts towards Syrian people, as well as of doing proselytism through the internet and financing towards the Syrian jihadist association Jabhat al-Nusra since 2014. Chaddad was also accused of terrorism financing through hawaladars in Italy, Sweden, Syria and Turney since 2014 and charged under art. 131-ter of D.Lgs 1 September 1993, n. 385; art. 11 of the D.Lgs 27 January 2010, and Law 16 March 2006, no. 146.
In particular, Abdulkarim Haj Osman had escaped arrest during a police raid (May 2018) by fleeing to Belgium. But after a few months (July 2018), he was apprehended by local officers and arrested, thanks to the cooperation of the Italian police and intelligence agency.
According to the prosecution, Haj Osman acted as Anwar Daadoue’s right hand man, managing the hawala system from his base in Olbia, while Daadoue handled various hawala offices throughout Europe. Wahmane and Mustafa Chaddad served as Haj Osman’s closest collaborators. One of Haj Osman’s primary tasks involved handling large sums of money in Italy, often using the hawala system to bypass formal banking channels. In September 2014, Daadoue instructed Wahmane to give Haj Osman a portion of €10,000 for distribution to contacts in Milan, while some went to other accomplices in Erba. In 2015, he was again entrusted with a large amount of money that was later routed through Wahmane to accomplices in Erba (in the North of Italy) and ultimately intended to support militants in Syria. In 2016, Haj Osman also participated in a fundraising effort aimed at supporting al-Nusra fighters in Syria. Mustafa Chaddad reached out to Haj Osman to assess Daadoue’s willingness to raise funds across Europe for Syrian combatants. With Haj Osman’s involvement, they successfully raised around €30,000, which was then channeled to Daadoue through Haj Osman to ensure it reached Syria.
Haj Osman’s conversations and actions reveal a strong ideological alignment with religious fundamentalism, particularly with groups opposing the Assad regime in Syria. Unlike the other members of the Olbia cell who opposed the Islamic State and supported rival groups like al-Nusra, he was a dedicated supporter of the Islamic State a fact evident from his phone contacts, which included a collaborator of the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
According to court documents, Haj Osman was involved in providing logistical support for foreign fighters headed to Syria, coordinating with Mustafa Chaddad to secure them with fake documents.
In June 2021, Abdulkarim Haj Osma was sentenced to five years and six months for the crimes of terrorist association and terrorist financing. In March 2024, the Court of Cassation confirmed the previous sentence.