TIRANA, July 1 – An Italian-led anti-terror operation has netted 10 arrests, including one in Albania, of suspected supporters of the ISIS group, Italian and Albanian authorities said this week.
The arrests included five Albanian citizens and four Italians.
Albanian police arrested a 40-year-old man, Baki Coku, in the city of Lushnja Wednesday. He was wanted on an international arrest warrant issued by a court in Milan, Albanian police said.
Coku lives in Italy and had traveled to Albania just a few days ago, police said. He faces charges of participating in criminal organization and of terrorist activities and is expected to quickly be extradited to Italy, according to Albanian authorities.
Coku is the uncle of a 27-year-old man, Aldo Kobuzi, who along with his wife Italian wife, Maria Giulia Sergio, are known to have gone to Syria to join ISIS last year, according to several media reports.
Several of the other Albanians arrested were related to Coku and the couple and were preparing to travel to Syria as well.
Earlier Wednesday, Italian anti-terrorism police said they executed arrest warrants against 10 people accused of preparing to go to Syria to fight.
Milan police officials told RAI state radio Wednesday that the suspects were detained in the cities of Milan, Bergamo and Grosseto.
Italy has said a few dozen Italian residents or citizens are fighting within the ranks of ISIS in northern Iraq and Syria, and that it has been keeping its eye on possible recruits in Italy. Italy has also expelled several Islamic militants in recent months.
