Farida Bentiwaa

Farida Bentiwaa was born in Tunisia on March 03, 1961. She arrived in Italy in July 2000 and emerged in the investigative landscape when investigators arrested the Egyptian Rabi El Ayashi, a.k.a. Merai, a prominent member of Ansar al-Islam, to whom the investigators found a postcard in his possession with the woman’s phone number.
Bentiwaa also came to the attention of the investigators because she had been contacted by a childhood friend – the militant Maher Bouyahia – she had met in Padua, where she lived. By paying 800 euro, the woman tried to obtain a fictitious work regularisation in order to get a residence permit, thanks to the collaboration of the courier Alì Toumi on behalf of Bouyahia, who had just returned from Turkey via Greece-Brindisi.
Forged documents – including a forged residence permit in Bouyahia’s name and 200,000 euro in cash – were found in Bentiwaa’s Padua home in October 2003. The woman was heard by investigators and later released. Finally, a remand order was issued in November 2003, but the Tunisian woman had already fled and was untraceable.
In conclusion, Bentiwaa was the first woman formally investigated for terrorism under Article 270 ter of the Criminal Code (assistance to associates), as she worked to enable Bouyahia to reach Italy, also involving her brother Ouisam Bentiwaa – convicted for drug trafficking -, who could have helped her by hosting Bouyahia in Padua.