Anas El Abboubi

Anas El Abboubi was born in Marrakech, Morocco, on 17 October 1992. He moved to Italy at a young age and grew up in the province of Brescia. Early in his life, he gained some recognition in the Italian hip hop scene under the stage name McKhalif, and in or around 2012 he was featured on an MTV Italy special entitled “In the Rhythm of Allah,” where he showcased his rapping skills. During this period, he began to radicalize, increasingly embracing jihadist ideology and spreading extremist views online. By late 2012, he had created and shared videos and posts that glorified armed jihad, criticized Western governments, and attacked Christian and Jewish religious figures. Among his productions were videos titled “La vera civiltà è questa?_Anas Abdu Shakur,” “The Revival – Charter 3 – the Other Side,” and “L’onore dei mujahideen,” which depicted armed fighters, terrorist attacks, and anti-Western propaganda. He also reposted texts by known ideologues, including Anwar al-Awlaki, and created his own material, including a rap-version of a “nasheed” prayer and propaganda calling for recruitment, jihad, and martyrdom.
El Abboubi actively sought to expand extremist networks in Europe. He attempted to establish “Sharia4Italy,” inspired by groups such as Sharia4UK and Sharia4Belgium, and maintained contacts with leaders including Fouad Belkacem and Anjem Choudary. He planned trips to Belgium around Christmas 2012 and Easter 2013 to meet these figures but did not follow through, citing fear of being monitored and believing many Sharia4 members had already departed for Syria. Locally, he conducted limited proselytism in Brescia, near the railway station and Freccia Rossa shopping centre, but was largely rejected by the local Muslim community. Investigators also documented that he conducted virtual reconnaissance of potential targets in Italy, including the Brescia railway station, Caserma Goito, Piazza della Loggia, the Cristal Palace, and the Kennedy overpass.
On the morning of 12 June 2013, El Abboubi was arrested in Brescia by the Police General Investigations and Special Operations Division, together with anti-terrorism forces, on charges of recruitment with intent to commit acts of international terrorism and incitement to discrimination and violence on the basis of race, ethnicity, and religion. He was accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Northern Italy and recruiting individuals for militant activity in Syria. He was held in custody for approximately two weeks before being released. The prosecutor filed an appeal requesting his re-incarceration, but the appeal was rejected. Following his release, El Abboubi traveled to Albania in September 2013 to meet Syrian recruiters, though he returned the same day after losing his passport. In October 2013, he reportedly traveled to Syria, where he joined the fighting; his father later confirmed that he had left for Syria. In November 2013, photos and audio recordings appeared on Facebook under the profile name Anas al-Italy, showing him holding a Kalashnikov and explaining his decision to embrace Islamic law and fight alongside Syrian rebels.
Once in Syria, El Abboubi joined the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). He posted photographs and videos via Turkish and Cypriot internet providers showing him dressed as a fighter, armed with an AK-47, and waving the ISIS black flag. Captions and messages glorified jihad, called for recruitment, and expressed a willingness to accept martyrdom. Intercepted telephone conversations with his parents reveal that he embraced the path of violent extremism and rejected advice to hide or retreat from combat. He became known among comrades as Abu Rawada, “the Italian.” After early 2014, no further verified communications were recorded, leading investigators to consider it probable—but not confirmed—that he was killed while fighting in former ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq or Syria.
El Abboubi is recognized as one of approximately 50 foreign terrorist fighters of Italian origin who fought in Syria. In January 2016, his parents received a call from a Syrian number claiming he was being held in a Syrian prison and demanding a ransom of three million euros for his release. On 23 January 2019, he was sentenced in absentia by the Court of Assizes of Brescia to six years’ imprisonment for terrorism-related offences, including recruitment, incitement, and propaganda activities conducted in Italy prior to his departure. He has gone missing and his family believes he is dead, though there is no proof.