The alleged creator and creator of the 'October 17 Movement' Instagram page has been identified by the Police. This is the youth movement that developed through social media during the demonstrations against the high cost of living in recent days. According to what emerged, the initiative was based on a thirty-year-old second generation Italian of Moroccan origins. The man, Youssef Siher, formally resident in the province of Brescia, was taken to the police station in Milan for questioning. He is under investigation for aggravated criminal incitement. Also contested are the condoning of the crime and the new article of the penal code for organized violence in public demonstrations through the use of IT means (art. 420 bis penal code).
Freelance journalist, political scientist and scholar, Siher has a high-level academic curriculum, geopolitical studies, a research doctorate and an activity as a freelance journalist, with collaborations also with national newspapers. He would be the alleged mastermind of the October 17 Movement Instagram page, which promoted demonstrations in various cities in Northern Italy.
The man also appears to have been a trainee researcher at the Observatory on the Middle East and North Africa of ISPI, the institute for international political studies. 'His research interests - we read on his profile published on the ISPI website - focus on political Islam, Islamic political movements and the relationship between Islam and Arab nationalism. He holds a degree in Communication and a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Milan. During his studies he analyzed the links between the Islamic political ideologies of the 20th century and the first political experiences of Islam and, in his master's thesis, he carried out an in-depth study on Islamic movements in Morocco and their relationships with monarchical power. He is bilingual, being a native speaker of Arabic and Italian, and speaks fluent English and Spanish.' He also worked for the Arabic satellite channel 'Al Mayadeen English', close to Hezbollah.
Youssef Siher carried out 'an internship at ISPI in 2024 and has not collaborated with the Institute since then'. Ispi himself specified this in a note, after the news of the arrest of the 30-year-old, considered the creator of the October 17 movement, also indicated as a researcher at the Institute for International Political Studies in Milan.
The 30-year-old currently appears to have been working since last January for Mercor, the American artificial intelligence startup whose motto is 'organizing human intelligence to power the AI economy', as an expert generalist. 'I contribute - we read on his Linkedin profile - to various data labeling, evaluation and training projects for artificial intelligence'.
In September, on his Facebook profile, Siher spoke about the youth protests in Morocco, analyzing why they had failed. 'It is essential to clarify that the problems that have emerged in the 'Generation Z protests' (education and health) are not the real problem, but rather - Siher underlined - symptoms of a much deeper disease. The root of the problem is the political and economic system based on a political class and big capital who act as oligarchs, and who mobilize power and resources in the hands of a few: the elite. And if this structural problem is not addressed, any progress will be illusory. We will continue to discuss the symptoms and propose sectoral reforms, without ever raising questions about the systematic corruption that empties healthcare and education of any social function. In this context, it is essential to address the question of monarchy, not from a theoretical perspective, monarchy or republic, but from a material and tangible perspective. At what point - he asked - does the monarch benefit from this corrupt system? And at what point is he interested in maintaining it for his political survival?'
Already in 2024, according to what emerged, Italian Intelligence had reported the establishment of the nascent Alba Organization by Siher himself. In particular, the reports highlighted the posture of the 'Rising Dawn' movement in spreading propaganda attributable to Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in European Muslim communities, in the logistical organization of Pro-Palestine street demonstrations, in the management of relations with circuits of the radical extreme left.
According to what has been learned, a search is also underway of the apartment of a friend of the 30-year-old, located right on the outskirts of Milan. And in the morning the Digos agents of Brescia searched a house between Mazzano and Gavardo, where his family still lives. During the activity, information material deemed to be of investigative interest was found. Among other things, over the past few hours, over 150 police searches have been carried out between Milan, Monza and 20 other cities, mainly in Lombardy, as part of investigative activities after last weekend's riots. The checks were carried out in reference to a suspicious chat traced in recent days by agents of the Monza Police Headquarters on a phone of one of the young protagonists of the clashes in Milan last weekend. This is what emerged from the provision notified to those directly involved. According to what was reported by legal sources, among those searched there were university and high school students, minors who most often had no criminal record.
Searches and seizures were also carried out in other Italian regions, such as in the context of the investigation into the alleged preparations for attacks and looting on shops in the center of Bari, in view of the demonstrations announced for today by the 'October 17 Movement'. The investigative activities, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate and the Bari Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, are proceeding after the checks carried out yesterday throughout the province and the identification, yesterday evening, 23 October, of a group of very young people in possession of balaclavas and pyrotechnic material. Digos officers intercepted and blocked some boys aged between 15 and 18 as they headed towards the city centre. During the searches, three balaclavas, pyrotechnics and some mobile phones were seized. At the end of the investigations, the minors were entrusted to their parents.
In view of today's protests by the 17 October Movement itself, in Florence the group has excluded Piazza Santa Maria Novella as the meeting place, initially indicated as the base of the garrison, and has announced that it will only communicate where it will be present at the last meeting. Another demonstration had been reported on social media in Piazza della Signoria. The situation was examined by the Provincial Committee for Public Order and Security, which met in the prefecture for over four hours under the presidency of the prefect Francesca Ferrandino. The summit was attended, among others, by the president of the Region Eugenio Giani and the mayor Sara Funaro. The strategy involves continuous reconnaissance in the historic centre, monitoring of the territory and timely exchange of information between law enforcement agencies, with the aim of preventing critical issues and guaranteeing public safety. The main boutiques and shopping streets of Milan, between Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, have meanwhile protected their windows with large wooden panels in view of the new events. Despite mayor Beppe Sala's invitation to keep the shops open, Rinascente has planned to close in the afternoon. The city is armored by over twelve hundred law enforcement and military operators.
