Mohamed Khemiri
Mohamed Kamel Edine Khemiri was born in Tunisia on June 21, 1975. He arrived in Italy as an undocumented migrant on August 5, 1998, landing at Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, after traveling on a small boat (gommon) purchased collectively with other compatriots. He remained in Sicily for about six to seven months, performing occasional work, before moving to France. There, he stayed with his aunt in Strasbourg for nearly a year but returned to Italy due to difficulties finding employment. In Italy, he carried out occasional work in Turin and Milan, later relocating to Florence, where he became involved in drug dealing, ultimately developing a personal dependence. He was arrested for drug-related offenses and served a six-month prison sentence. In 2002, he moved to Reggio Calabria, working in citrus harvesting, and from 2006 onwards he resided in the province of Caserta, moving between Villa Literno, San Cipriano, Casaluce, and San Marcellino.
Khemiri’s early life in Italy was marked by social and economic marginalization. He initially struggled to maintain a religious practice and social integration, but after overcoming drug addiction with medical help, he began reconnecting with Islam. By 2013, he lived in the apartments above the mosque in San Marcellino and developed a close relationship with the local Imam, Nasser Hiddouri, who confirmed that Khemiri had gradually returned to his faith. Despite this renewed religiosity, he also harbored fears that mosque authorities could inform Italian authorities about his past activities. Over time, Khemiri underwent progressive self-radicalization, moving from a renewed religious faith to adopting an extremist jihadist ideology. By September 2014, his social media activity demonstrated an active interest in violent jihadist content, including sharing images of jihadist militants and praising acts of terror. Following the Paris attacks of January 2015, he publicly expressed support for the attackers, promoted conspiracy theories blaming Western intelligence services, and celebrated attacks on civilians, demonstrating a clear ideological alignment with the Islamic State (IS).
Khemiri played an organizational and propagandistic role in a transnational ISIS network. He collaborated with individuals such as Adil Abaad, Laid Adel, and Younes Ayman, facilitating radicalization, disseminating pro-ISIS content, and recruiting others to the cause. He actively spread materials glorifying terrorism, including images, videos, and texts, and encouraged the enactment of violent jihad. His social media and personal communications indicated both ideological and operational commitment to ISIS, even though he claimed he was not directly involved in combat operations. He also coordinated the falsification of documents to regularize the residence of non-EU nationals in Italy, often in a transnational context, and was implicated in criminal networks supporting illegal immigration; last but not least, he once tried to buy illegaly five Kalashnikov by a former member of the Casalesi clan (a faction of Camorra, mafia organization based in Campania) who later became a cooperating witness (state informant), and who refused to sell him weapons but did sell him a car that was later found in Algeria. Khemiri’s radicalization was characterized by a clear trajectory: a return to religious faith, systematic consumption and dissemination of jihadist propaganda, creation of networks to promote extremist ideology, and open endorsement of violent acts in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Europe. He publicly expressed allegiance to ISIS, describing himself as “an ISIS supporter for life,” and endorsed figures central to jihadist ideology, including Anwar al-Awlaki and Sajida al-Rishawi. He justified terrorist acts both morally and ideologically, framing them as part of a global struggle against Western and “unbelieving” powers. His activities included not only online propaganda but also real-world coordination and encouragement of others to commit acts in furtherance of jihad. Khemiri had also expressed approval of the Paris attacks against the Charlie Hebdo editorial staff.
The Court of Assizes of Naples sentenced him to eight years in prison for participation in a criminal association with terrorist purposes. He was investigated by the Naples Prosecutor’s Office, together with seven accomplices, as the leader of a gang engaged in facilitating illegal immigration and forging documents. According to the prosecution, the group allegedly obtained fake employment contracts and payslips, with the collaboration of textile companies, to help illegal immigrants secure residence permits. If confirmed, this would indicate a connection between the phenomenon of illegal immigration and the infiltration of Islamic terrorism. He was formally charged under Italian law with participation in an international terrorist organization of Islamic extremist matrix (Articles 270-bis and 270-sexies of the Penal Code, Law 146/2006) and with making public apologia of terrorist organizations (Articles 414 III and IV, Penal Code). Investigations and subsequent interrogations revealed his involvement in propaganda, recruitment, and facilitation of the ISIS agenda, as well as the falsification of documents for the benefit of illegal immigrants. While he initially denied some terrorist affiliations during questioning, he admitted ownership of social media accounts used to promote ISIS propaganda and demonstrated awareness of the violent impact of the acts he endorsed. Khemiri’s case exemplifies a trajectory from marginalization and minor criminality to ideological radicalization and active involvement in transnational jihadist networks.
