Italy detains ideologue of radical "October 17 Movement" Yusef Siker

Detention of radical movement organisers

Italian law enforcement agencies detained 30-year-old Yusef Siker, whom the investigation considers the main ideologue and coordinator of the left-wing radical internet movement "October 17 Movement". His wife, 32-year-old Sagiya Hammoud, was detained with him. According to detectives, the couple acted as the "brain centre" of the organisation involved in mass riots, looting, and clashes with police in Milan and other cities in the country.

Siker is charged with inciting the commission of crimes with terrorist intent, with the actions carried out using computer means. These events are reported by Euronews, Quotidiano Nazionale, and Il Giornale.

Context of mass protests

The activity of the "October 17 Movement" began against the backdrop of large-scale riots that swept Italy in mid-October. Participants protested against the rising cost of living, falling wages, and the policies of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government. The situation in Italy developed under the influence of similar events in France, where mass demonstrations also took place.

The protests quickly escalated into clashes with police and looting. According to the investigation, Siker directly organised and coordinated the participants of these events.

Coordination methods and digital traces

The investigation established that Siker operated through several accounts on Telegram, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which were created on the evening of 18 October, i.e. after the first protests. Through these channels, he published instructions on occupying squares, bypassing law enforcement forces, and updated security measures.

Participants were grouped into city groups, where operational instructions were transmitted and actions were coordinated during mass actions. Slogans directed at the government also appeared on these platforms: "Meloni declares war on the future of this country, and we declare war on this shameful present".

A feature of the system designed by Siker was that exact gathering addresses were not disclosed in advance. For example, on 24 October at 14:30, the distribution of SMS with addresses was scheduled, but the messages never arrived because by that time Siker was already at the police station.

Profile of the detainee

Yusef Siker is an Italian of Moroccan descent, second generation, a resident of the town of Mazzano near Brescia. He has an education in communications, a master's degree in political science from the University of Milan, and completed an internship at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), where he researched the Middle East.

Siker specialised in political Islam and speaks Arabic, Italian, English, and Spanish. He was an active participant in the pro-Palestinian movement, worked as a freelance writer for the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, and collaborated with the publication Il Foglio.

Investigators and media emphasise that this is not a marginal figure, but an educated specialist who consciously used his knowledge to create a radical protest network. According to the investigation, Siker systematised instructions for protesters in a manual titled "Revolution. Instructions", drawing on the experience of the 2011 "Arab Spring".

Wife's role and link to hackers

Siker's wife, Sagiya Hammoud, of Lebanese descent, married him in September. She is being investigated for the same offences as Siker. The couple used social media to call for the escalation of violence.

The detention order states: "The aim was to implement a plan aimed at committing subversive acts intended to sow terror. Therefore, this is incitement that was truly effective and capable of prompting people to commit unlawful acts".

Law enforcement identified the suspects' location thanks to the work of the cyber police, which reconstructed the structure of accounts, analysed logins, and tracked channel activity. The detention took place on Saturday, 24 October 2026, on the outskirts of Milan in an acquaintance's apartment, where Siker was hiding with his wife. During the search, law enforcement sealed Hammoud's switched-on mobile phone.

During searches at the family home in Mazzano, digital traces of intensive social media activity and rules for organising a campaign of civil disobedience against Meloni's government were found. It was also noted that Siker specialised in using artificial intelligence.

One lead in the case may lead to the pro-Russian hacker group NoName, which was previously linked to inciting riots in Italy and Europe with the aim of destabilisation. Meanwhile, the Genoa prosecutor's office is checking possible contacts between Siker and a group arrested as part of an investigation by the district anti-mafia office regarding the financing of Hamas through a network of charitable organisations. Although a preliminary check did not find Siker's name in the materials of that case, the prosecutor's office continues to analyse the file.