Italians burnish anti-jihad credentials

A European terrorist cell that was trying to raise money to finance jihad in Algeria has been “dismantled” by Italian authorities, according to this story from the AP:

MILAN —  Italy’s top security official said Thursday that authorities have smashed an international terror cell with the arrest in Italy and elsewhere in Europe of 17 Algerians who were raising money to finance terrorism.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, speaking to reporters in Rome, called the terror cell “significant.”

“An Algerian terror cell that gathered money for terrorist activities outside of Europe has been dismantled,” Maroni said.

The arrests stemmed from an anti-terrorism investigation in Milan, and anti-terrorist units from Algeria, Austria, Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland cooperated in the probe, Milan police said.

Six of the arrests were in Italy, police said in a statement.

Milan Prosecutor Armando Spataro said the initial investigation involved terrorism, but the suspects were being held on charges of criminal association and falsifying documents — not the charge of international terrorism introduced in Italy after the Sept. 11 attacks. He said investigators were still working on the case.

Milan police said the investigation, which started in 2007, uncovered an active organization with several international connections.

Police said the organization had the aim of sending money to Algeria, and raised an estimated $1.5 million over the past three years from crimes such as burglaries and thefts. It sent the money to Algeria in tranches of about $15,000, according to police…

I’m grateful to Italy for this, even if they’re just trying to deflect recent stories suggesting obeisance to or a willingness to work with the jihadists…