Rawti Shax (; "towards the mountain") was a
Kurdish cyberterrorist offshoot of the
jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...
group
Ansar al-Islam.
Dissolution
In October 2015, seventeen members, including the suspected leader,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
-based
Mullah Krekar, were arrested. All members were
Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
except for one
Kosovar Albanian affiliate, and they were all arrested by an
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
-led, multi-nation sweep by police across
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.
The operation dismantled an integrated cell in Italy, Norway, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
The network was accused of radicalising and recruiting fighters for the
Islamic State
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
, plotting attacks targeting Norwegian and British diplomats in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, and getting prepared to establish a second
caliphate
A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
in
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
, after the
Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan.
It was also suspected of operating its own military training camps.
The Italian
counterterrorism
Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and Intelligence agency, intelligence ...
chief Giuseppe Governale said that the operation was "the most important international police operation in Europe in 20 years".
Arrests and warrants
A total of seventeen people, all but one of whom were Iraqi Kurds, were arrested or indicted in the raids; seven in Italy, four in the United Kingdom, three in Norway, two in Finland and one in Switzerland. 26 properties were searched in total, including in Germany, where officials seized electronic devices and documents.
Arrested in Italy:
* Abdulrahman Newroz, 36,
Merano
Merano (, ; ) or Meran () is a (municipality) in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. Generally best known for its Spa town, spa resorts, it is located within a Depression (geology), basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to Height above mean sea ...
, Iraqi Kurd, suspected operative leader of the network, arrested in prison, trained at least five jihadists who travelled to Syria and Iraq
* Elvir Hoxhaj, 26, Merano,
Kosovar Albanian, trained with jihadists in Syria financed by Italian ringleader in 2014
* Auch Mohamed Goran Fatah, 29, Merano, Iraqi Kurd, admitted contact with other indicted, allegedly in leadership circle
* Hama Mahmood Kamal, 30, Merano, Iraqi Kurd, driver for a transport company, ISIL-sympathiser
* Ali Salih Abdullah, 38,
Bolzano
Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...
, Iraqi Kurd, communications with Italian ringleader
* Ibrahim Jamal, 31, Bolzano, Iraqi Kurd, nicknamed "
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
", fought with ISIL in 2012, previously lived in England, spread jihadist propaganda and talked about the need for terrorist attacks in Europe or against European interests as well as to free Mullah Krekar from prison
* Hasan Samal Jalal, 36, Bolzano, Iraqi Kurd, suspected to be ready to commit terrorist acts
Arrested in Norway:
*
Mullah Krekar, suspected leader of the network, arrested in prison, original leader of Ansar al-Islam, allegedly pledged support to ISIL in 2014
* Karim Rahim Twana, 38,
Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Østfold Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipal ...
, Kurdish Norwegian citizen, open supporter and close associate of Krekar
* Kamil Jalal Fatah, 42,
Drammen
Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...
, Iraqi Kurd, visits to Krekar in prison, communications with Italian ringleader
Arrest warrants in Finland:
* Male, joined ISIL, presumed killed in battle in March 2014
Arrest warrant in Switzerland:
* Male, joined the
Al-Nusra Front
Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...
in Syria in June 2014
The network was in addition believed to have cells in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and Iraq.
In March 2016 4 suspects previously arrested in the United Kingdom were released without charges, after winning a court case against their extradition to Italy.
Extraditions to Italy
Several people have been extradited to Italy:
*
Mullah Krekar was extradited in March 2020. He is serving a prison sentence as of 2020.
*A 43-year old man was extradited from Norway in October 2020; he is Kurdish but has a Norwegian citizenship. However, media claimed in 2019 that his Norwegian citizenship had been recalled and he currently remains
stateless.
See also
*
White Flags
References
{{reflist
Organizations based in Europe designated as terrorist
Jihadist groups
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Islamic terrorism in Italy
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the United Kingdom
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Norway
Law enforcement operations against Islamist groups
Dark web
October 2015 crimes in Europe
2015 in Europe
Kurdish Islamic organisations
Kurdish Islamism